Oltmanns and Santillan ready to leave it all on the ice in Omaha

Olivia Oltmanns and Joshua Santillan are heading to Omaha for their 3rd nationals as juniors.  (You can read last year's pre-San Jose interview here.)  The Eastern Sectionals champions finished 9th in 2012 and are hungry for the podium.  Santillan took some time during training in Canada to answer some questions about their preparation for Omaha.

You competed at JGP Lake Placid.  What was it like to compete at an international on home ice?

It was a really great experience to compete in the US for the US. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like we really put our best effort forward, so I hope sometime in the future we can have another opportunity to represent our country on home ice. 

You won gold at Eastern Sectionals.  What kind of momentum does that give you going into nationals?

I think this definitely puts us in a better position than the last few years. It's the first sectionals I've won in pairs (I won novice in singles), so it's really exciting to go into nationals with that title. We hope to ride that momentum into the podium. 

This is your third year competing nationally at the junior level.  Do you think that gives you an advantage?

It certainly gives us an advantage over the first year teams. The second year teams skate with great poise also, so I feel like they're right there with us.

Seven of the teams who competed as juniors at nationals last season qualified as juniors again.  What will set you apart from the group this year?

Well, everything we do in both programs is a planned level 4, from the twists to the footwork to the spins and lifts. Because of the difficulty of the back press lift, most teams are unable to do a level four. With everything being so even in the short, we hope that can set us apart. I also feel like our maturity on the ice should help us in the second mark. 

You are aging out of juniors internationally after this season.  What kind of international assignments are you hoping for next year?

We want to do well enough that we're considered for a Senior B assignment. 

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

Our main focus this year has been consistency. If we can skate our programs clean, I feel like we're in contention. We also have been putting a lot of focus into the second mark [program components]. We chose to work with Rohene Ward again for our programs this year, and I feel like he really helped us get in touch with our emotions, especially in the free skate. 

What are your goals for nationals?

I'd like to put it all out on the ice. By that I mean I want to put forth our best and most emotional performance possible. So far, nationals hasn't produced the results we dream of, but I think if we lay it all out, we can put ourselves in position to medal. It's a really tough year, so our best will be required. 

I think one of the things that makes you so compelling as a team is your energy and performance on the ice, nice lift positions and intricate choreography.  What do you think has been holding you back from the podium and how are you working to address it?

Our consistency has definitely been a big roadblock for us. We tend to win every warm-up, but when the music turns on we can't put it all together. We're currently in Ontario, Canada working with Kris and Kristy Wirtz. They're helping us raise our confidence and increase consistency in the programs. 

Is there anything else you want people to know?

Olivia and I are in our fourth season together and hope to make this one our best. The fans support is really great, so I hope everyone comes to watch our event at nationals. You can follow Olivia on twitter @oliviaoltmanns and me @joshloveshugs ... It'll be worth your while! Thanks for reading!

US Nationals: Junior Pairs Preview

Simpson and Blackmer are in their second season as a team and seem to be hitting a bit of a sophomore slump.  After qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final and medaling at that event last season, they failed to medal at either of their Junior Grand Prix assignments this season.  Still, they had the best international scores of any US junior pairs team this season.  They have a throw triple loop and salchow planned in their free skate but have only been executing a double twist.  They have a great look and elegance on the ice and that should help make up for any technical deficits.  They won the silver medal at nationals last season and are in a good position to claim the top spot on the podium.

Trying to catch them will be their training mates Aaron and Settlage who won a bronze medal on the Junior Grand Prix this season.  They have a Level 4 lift, spin and step sequence planned in their short and executed two Level 4 lifts and a Level 4 combination spin in their free skate at sectionals.  They have a throw triple loop and triple salchow as well along with a triple twist.  After winning the novice title in 2011, they finished just off the podium last season.

Calalang and Sidhu bounced back from a poor short program at sectionals to claim the Pacific Coast Sectionals title.  They received a Level 4 on their spin and lift in the short program and a Level 4 on their side by side spins in their free skate.  They have a triple twist and are planning a throw triple salchow and throw triple lutz in their free skate which gives them a huge technical advantage if they hit the elements cleanly.  They just missed out on the Junior Worlds team last season and will be looking for redemption this year.

Liu and Perini are making their junior debut after winning two medals as novices.  She is not old enough to compete internationally but they seem to be growing together well and adjusting to her growth spurts.  They received a Level 3 death spiral, Level 4 steps, Level 4 lift and Level 4 spin in their short program at sectionals.  They also had Level 4 spins, a Level 3 death spiral and a triple twist in their free skate.  These levels help them make up for the fact that they only have a throw triple salchow and throw double flip planned in their free skate.

Pfund and Reiss are still a relatively new team but have been gaining recognition both nationally and internationally.  They received a Level 4 on their lift in the short program at sectionals but only had a basic death spiral.

De la Mora and Wilson competed on the Junior Grand Prix this season for the first time but will not be able to compete internationally next season.  He will age out of juniors and she is too young to compete in seniors until 2014-2015.  This may give them an advantage as they will not be vying for international placements next season and can just worry about their performance at nationals.  They had a Level 4 step sequence in their short program at sectionals and Level 4 spins and a Level 4 lift in the free skate.  They also have a triple twist and a triple lutz in their arsenal, but they did not execute the lutz at sectionals.

Oltmanns and Santillan have the whole package but have trouble putting together two clean programs when the pressure is on.  They also struggle with their solo jumps.  If they can put everything together and skate cleanly they can medal.  They had a Level 4 step sequence in their short program and Level 4 spins and a Level 4 lift in the free skate at sectionals.  Their programs are smartly structured with 4 elements in the bonus section of the free skate but those extra points were lost at sectionals when they had two falls.

Historically, the top three age eligible junior pairs are sent to junior worlds, however this season Denney and Frazier will be competing nationally as seniors.  They didn't have a stellar international season and the committee will have to determine how they rank with the other junior teams.  Placing in the top two should be a guaranteed trip to junior worlds.

My podium predictions:
Gold: SimpsonBlackmer
Silver: Aaron/Settlage
Bronze: Calalang/Sidhu
Pewter: Liu/Perini

Bios of the competitors:
Aaron/Settlage: She is 18 and he is 20.  She represents the Coyotes Skating Club of Arizona and he represents the Broadmoor Skating Club.  They won bronze at JGP USA and placed 7th at JGP Croatia.  They are 2011 Novice Pairs Champions and finished 6th in Junior Pairs in 2012.  They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 9th best free skate internationally.  The have the best short program, free skate and total scores nationally.

Belt/Johnson: They represent the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 9th best free skate and 9th best total scores nationally.  

Calalang/Sidhu: She is 16 and he is 20.  She represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club and he represents the Las Vegas Figure Skating Club.  They placed 6th at JGP Austria and 8th at JGP Croatia.  They finished 8th in Juniors in 2011 and are the reigning Junior Pairs pewter medalists.  They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 6th best short program, 2nd best free skate and 2nd best total scores nationally.  

De la Mora/Wilson: She is 13 and he is 21.  They represent the Texas Gulf Coast Figure Skating Club.  They placed 11th at JGP Austria.  They are the 2010 Intermediate Pairs Champions, finished 6th in Novice in 2011 and 8th in Juniors in 2012.  They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 4th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total scores nationally.

Doherty/Norris: She represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club and he represents the St. Moritz Ice Skating Club.  They placed 5th at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 8th best free skate and 11th best total scores nationally.


Fields/Pacini: She is 17 and he is 22.  She represents the Coyote Skating Club of Arizona and he represents the Fort Collins Figure Skating Club.  They are the 2011 Novice Pewter Medalists and 2012 Novice Silver Medalists.  They won pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 5th best short program and 10th best total scores nationally.

Fujimoto/Barsi-Rhyne: She is 21 and he is 21.  She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Skating Club of Lake Placid.  They finished 11th in Juvenile in 2004, 7th in Juvenile in 2005, are the 2006 Juvenile pewter medalists, finished 5th in Intermediate in 2007, 12th in Novice in 2008, 7th in Novice in 2009 and 11th in Juniors in 2012.  They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 9th best short program, 10th best free skate and 8th best total scores nationally.

Liu/Perini: She is 13 and he is 19.  She represents the St. Paul Figure Skating Club and he represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.  They are the 2011 Novice Silver Medalists and reigning Novice Champions.  They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 3rd best short program, 3rd best free skate and 3rd best total score nationally. 

Oltmanns/Santillan: She is 15 and he is 20.  She represents the Yarmouth Ice Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 12th at JGP USA.  They finished 6th in Novice in 2010, 11th in Juniors in 2011 and 9th in Juniors in 2012.  They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 7th best short program, 5th best free skate and 6th best total score nationally.

Pfund/Reiss: She represents the Broadmoor Skating Club and he represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.  They placed 5th at JGP USA and 7th at JGP Germany.  She is 15 and he is 20.  They finished 5th as Juniors in 2012.  They won bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals. They have the 2nd best short program, 6th best free skate and 4th best total score nationally.

Shaughnessy/Morgan: She is 20 and he is 21.  They represent the Skating Club of Boston.  They finished 5th in Novice in 2011 and are the reigning Novice Pairs bronze medalists.  They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.   They have the 8th best short program, 7th best free skate and 7th best total score nationally.

Simpson/Blackmer: She is 16 and he is 21.  She represents the Broadmoor Skating Club and he represents the Detroit Skating Club.  They placed 5th at JGP Austria and 5th at JGP Germany.  They are the reigning Junior Pairs silver medalists.  They have the 10th best short program and 8th best free skate internationally.

Eastern Sectionals Junior Pairs Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Short Program		Free Skate		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	5	Olivia Oltmanns, Yarmouth Ice Club Joshua Santillan, All Year FSC	1	42.01	1	78.41	120.42
2	6	Alexandria Shaughnessy, SC Of Boston James Morgan, SC Of Boston	2	41.45	2	75.31	116.76
3	4	Cali Fujimoto, Peninsula SC Nicholas Barsi-Rhyne, SC of Lake Placid	3	40.81	5	70.81	111.62
4	1	Caitlin Belt, University of Delaware FSC Michael Johnson, University of Delaware FSC	5	34.55	4	72.68	107.23
5	2	Brenna Doherty, University of Delaware FSC Craig Norris, St. Moritz ISC	6	32.06	3	72.98	105.04
6	3	Alyssa McDougal, Birmingham FSC Paul Schatz, Southwest Florida FSC	4	40.13	6	64.77	104.90
WD		Audrey Goldberg, SC Of Southern New Jersey Joseph Dolkiewicz, SC Of Southern New Jersey

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.

Indy Pairs Challenge Schedule and Competitors

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:   (Schedule may change due to number of entries)

Friday, August 3:

Senior SP

Junior SP

Saturday, August 4:

Senior FS

Junior FS

Senior

Andrews/Anderson
Baga/Toth
Castelli/Shnapir
Davis/Ladwig
Donlan/Speroff
Kayne/O'Shea
Vise/Baldwin
Zhang/Bartholomay

Bautista/Harris, PHI
Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN
Purdy/Marinaro, CAN
Steele/Schultz, CAN

Junior

Belt/Johnson
De la Mora/Wilson
Fields/Pacini
Fujimoto/Barsi-Rhyne
Goldberg/Dolkiewicz
Oltmanns/Santillan
Pearce/Silecky
Shaughnessy/Morgan
Zaitsev/Stevens

Jones/Beharry, CAN

Oltmanns and Santillan up the technical ante, plan to show improvement at nationals

Olivia Oltmanns and Joshua Santillan began skating together in September of 2009 and are coached by her mother, Trudy.  Since teaming up, they have competed at two nationals and three Junior Grand Prix events.  They placed 7th at JGP Latvia and 11th at JGP Austria earlier this season and are looking to improve on their 11th place finish at nationals last season.  Despite their experience, they are still a young team (she is 14 and he is 19) and have another year of junior eligibility internationally.

Santillan talked to me about pulling double duty in singles and pairs (he finished 7th in Junior Men at Midwestern Sectionals), competing on the Junior Grand Prix and preparations for nationals.

Tell me about yourself outside of skating.
I enjoy spending time in the gym, rollerblading, and playing basketball. I also like to play Call of
Duty in my free time.

How would you describe your skating to someone who had never seen you skate before?
I really enjoy skating pairs because I feel like I am so capable of complimenting another skater. I enjoy my role of presenting my partner, rather than being the main attraction.

You compete in both singles and pairs.  What advantages do you think you gain in pairs by also competing in singles?
Pairs is definitely my main focus. The great part about skating singles this year was that it was just for fun. There was no pressure and I was able to perform my best, without any concern over the result. Skating singles this season helped me understand how to skate without feeling pressure. I learned to put things into perspective and that if I just perform, the results will play themselves out.

Are there any new technical elements that you've added this season or anything in particular you've been focusing on?
This year we've really been pushing the consistency of everything. The throw toe and sal[chow] are much more consistent than last season and we've also added the loop to our repertoire. We're one of the only junior teams with a level four lift in the short program and we've also added side by side triples into the freeskate.

You had the opportunity to compete in two Junior Grand Prix events this season.  What did you learn from that experience?
Competing internationally is always really fun. Our results in Latvia were better than [in] Austria, but regardless of this, both events were fun. Some might find it intimidating to go up against the best skaters in the world. I however, like to make friends with my competitors from other countries. It's also really exciting to get to see how different people are around the world and I really enjoy each event more than the last.

You call your partner Olivia a big influence on your life.  Do you think a strong relationship off the ice makes for a better partnership on the ice?
Olivia and I spend a lot of time together, both on and off the ice. I think that all this time together helps us understand and relate to each other on the ice.

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?
Our goal for nationals is to go out and compete our very best. I think that if we can just go out there and put our best effort forward, we'll be happy. We plan on spending another season at the junior level so hopefully our results at nationals can impress the members of the selection committee enough to put us on the JGP circuit again. Long term this could help set us up for success at the senior level, which is of course the ultimate goal.

Is there anything else you want people to know?
I'm geared and ready for nationals and can't wait to show off how improved we are.

U.S. Nationals Junior Pairs Preview

This field features the reigning novice gold and bronze medalists, three teams returning to the junior event and several new teams.  Six of the teams competed on the Junior Grand Prix this season and two qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Simpson and Blackmer paired up earlier this season after Simpson's previous partner retired.  They won gold at their JGP debut in Poland and became the first U.S. pairs team to do so since 2007.  They followed it up with a silver medal in Estonia and a bronze medal at the Final.  Their Titanic free skate is stunning and for being such a new team they have gelled very well together.  Their scores have been well above the U.S. field this season and some of the best internationally.

Calalang and Sidhu placed 4th at JGP Poland and won bronze at JGP Estonia to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They had to withdraw from the Final due to injury.  If they are back to 100%, they have a great chance of winning a medal here.  They have a top 10 international score and improved throughout the JGP season.

Aaron and Settlage are the reigning novice champions and made their JGP debut this season, finishing 5th at JGP Poland.  They also set the highest score at sectionals.  They looked very solid as novices last season and set themselves apart from the field and kept pace with the other teams on the JGP who have previously competed as juniors.

Denney and Frazier competed together back in 2008 but split up and have competed with other partners before re-teaming this season.  They had a 7th and 8th place finish at their two JGP events but chose not to compete at Sectionals.  They are still a new team together, and missing the extra competition could leave them without valuable experience.

Mozer and O'Shea are also a new team and O'Shea competed last season with Denney.  They didn't get an international assignment this season but impressed with the 2nd highest sectionals score.  They showed they can be competitive with the teams that have competed internationally this season even without the extra feedback the other teams have received.

Duarte and Grafton also competed internationally, finishing 6th and 9th at their JGP events.  They've also competed at nationals since 2005 and have a lot of experience under their belt.  They had the 3rd highest score at Sectionals.

Oltmanns and Santillan placed 7th and 11th in their two JGP events and had the 4th highest score at Sectionals.  Despite competing on the JGP and at nationals as juniors last season, they are still one of the youngest teams in this event.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Simpson/Blackmer
Silver: Calalang/Sidhu
Bronze: Aaron/Settlage
Pewter: Denney/Frazier

Bios of the competitors:
Cali Fujimoto/Nicholas Barsi-Rhyne: She is 20 and he is 20.  They represent the Peninsula Skating Club.  They finished 11th in Juvenile in 2004, 7th in Juvenile in 2005, are the 2006 Juvenile pewter medalists, finished 5th in Intermediate in 2007, 12th in Novice in 2008 and 7th in Novice in 2009.  They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Audrey Goldberg/Joseph Dolkiewicz: She is 15 and he is 19.  They represent the Skating Club of Southern New Jersey.  They finished 10th in Juvenile Pairs in 2009, are the 2010 Intermediate Pairs silver medalists and are the reigning Novice bronze medalists.  They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Kylie Duarte/Colin Grafton: She is 18 and he is 20.  She represents the Colonial Figure Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 9th at JGP Latvia and 6th at JGP Austria.  They placed 15th in Juvenile in 2005, 5th in Juvenile in 2006, are the 2007 Juvenile Pairs silver medalists, the 2008 Intermediate Pairs Champions, finished 9th in Novice in 2009, are the 2010 Novice pewter medalists and finished 7th in Juniors in 2011.  They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Christine Mozer/Daniel O'Shea: They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Madeline Aaron/Max Settlage: She is 17 and he is 19.  She represents the Coyotes Skating Club of Arizona and he represents the Broadmoor Skating Club.  They placed 5th at JGP Poland.  They are the reigning Novice Pairs Champions.  They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Brianna de la Mora/Taylor Wilson: They are the 2010 Intermediate Pairs Champions and finished 6th in Novice in 2011.  They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Olivia Oltmanns/Joshua Santillan: She is 14 and he is 19.  She represents the Kansas City Figure Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 7th at JGP Latvia and 11th at JGP Austria.  They finished 6th in Novice in 2010 and 11th in Juniors in 2011.  They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

AnnaMarie Pearce/Craig Norris: They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Jessica Pfund/AJ Reiss: They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Jessica Noelle Calalang/Zack Sidhu: She is 16 and he is 20.  She represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club and he represents the Las Vegas Figure Skating Club.  They placed 4th at JGP Poland and won bronze at JGP Estonia to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final, but they withdrew due to injury.  They finished 8th in Juniors in 2011.  They received a bye to nationals by qualifying for the JGPF.  They have the 5th best short program, 9th best free skate and 6th best total score internationally. 

Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier: She is 16 and he is 19.  She represents the Broadmoor Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 8th at JGP Latvia and 7th at JGP Austria.  They are the 2008 Intermediate Pairs bronze medalists.  They received a bye to nationals due to a low number of competitors in their sectional.

Britney Simpson/Matthew Blackmer: She is 15 and he is 20.  She represents the Broadmoor Skating Club and he represents the Detroit Skating Club.  They won gold at JGP Poland and silver at JGP Estonia to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they won bronze.  They received a bye to nationals by qualifying for the JGPF.  They have the 5th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total score internationally.