2007 Golden Skate Competition
Competitors represented 6 clubs during the 8th annual contest.
The USFSA sanctioned Golden Skate Figure Skating Competition, hosted by the Capital City Figure Skating Club, took place in Roseville, CA, April 28-29, 2007.
Skatetown boasts two full-sized ice rinks, and for this competition, one was used for public skating while the other was designated for the competition.
The participating coaches’ list included familiar names, such as Laura Galindo and Sergei Ponamarenko. Events included a little something for everyone, from pixie through adult.
The Pixies, of course, stole the show with their cuteness factor, demonstrating an unadulterated love of skating. Junior-level skaters, however, were the most impressive group. Their fire, charisma and skills were a joy to watch and indicated a great future for Pacific Coast skaters in the future.
During the Junior Light event, Sunday afternoon, the skating stars of tomorrow shone brightly. With a curtain separating the back eighth of the ice from audience view, skaters warmed up their jumps and spins before immerging to perform under spotlight and darkened stands. This event is great practice for exhibition performances that will no doubt be required of some of these kids at the Sectional and National level next season.
Skating under spotlight is very different than on well-lit ice. Corners are undefined, and it’s easy to get lost under glaring gels. Younger skaters sometimes get totally lost on the ice during these circumstances. The Junior-level skaters at Golden Skate had the opportunity to hone their spotlight performances.
While there were six athletes of note performing in Junior Light, two stood out of the bunch. The first was Robert Tyrrell from the Peninsula Skating Club in San Jose. This skater will predictably be a ferocious competitor on the National scene. His elements were fast, solid, and included several high and clean triple jumps. He is developing into a youthful, handsome technician reminiscent of Lysacek and the dominating Russian men. Like many junior skaters, he needs to work on musical interpretation and getting lower into his sit spin.
Robert’s fellow club member, Christine Hotchkin, won the Junior Light event and proved that she is a skater to watch next season. Christine showed off great spiral sequences as she performed for the audience.
Skaters were recalled at the end of the competition to compete for the championship title. Their costumes looked professional and the athleticism displayed made this a great competition.
Participants who skated during the Recall included Christine Hotchkin, Ciprian Lopez, sisters Mitchell who skated in Similar Pairs to a Broadway compilation, Shelby Deffterios, Gabriella Gustafson, Emmie LeRoy, Melanie Hern, Bella Martinez, Michelle Ito, friends Carvalho and Gustafson who channeled German roots in their Similar Pairs performance, Antionia Mitchell, Carmen Mitchell, and Shannon Pauls who closed the show and won the championship.
Congratulations to all the skaters, coaches, supporters and volunteers whose hard work for this competition paid off. To find out how to participate or help with next year’s Golden Skate, log on to the Capital City Figure Skating Club website.
