Cat's Lair 2002 Nationals Diary

Jan. 6-13, 2002

Cover Page

Day 1: 6-Jan-2002

• Novice Men Short (08-Jan-2002 03:01 AM)
• Novice Ladies Short (09-Jan-2002 10:18 PM)
• Novice Pairs Short (22-Jan-2002 01:11 AM)

2002 Novice Lady's Free Skate

I am typing this a week later, so I am working mostly from my notes. My memories are not as fresh as they are when I write right after an event.

Marshall had a wonderful time at Disneyland. Today Pooh and he played with his fire truck together. So surely that is worth having to wait so long for my reports. Right? I said Right?

Ashley Ann Lovasik

She started out with a flying camel spin that had nice positions. She did a double axel, a double loop, and a double lutz. She did a triple/double combination. She had a pretty layback spin. She did a circular spiral section that had nice spiral positions. She did a tripel jump that was two footed, a double axel and a popped jump. She was sixth in the free skate and sixth overall.

Sandra Jean Rucker

I understand that Sandra has been injured and off ice for quite a while. Just her skating here was quite a triumph. She did a double axel, fell on a triple salchow, she landed a double jump, a double loop/double toe, a doubleaxel/double toe combination, a double jump. She has very pretty arms in her layback. In fact she has very pretty arm movements throughout her program. She ended with a flying sit spin. Sandra was eleventh in the free and twelfth overall.

Alicia Heelan

She did a double/double/double jump series. She did a double salchow, and then fell on a double axel. She had a beautiful camel spin with nice speed. She did another double/double/double series. Personally I think double jump series are more impressive to watch than triple jumps, I take it the judges don't agree with me, they never do. She did a double loop, she has a beautiful layback spin. She ended the program with a combination spin that had good speed and some innovative positions. Seventh in the free but her eleventh place short kept her at ninth overall.

Sarah Henry

She did a double jump, another double jump and fell on a double axel. She did a double/double combination. She had her arms stretched up high in her layback spin, very pretty. She did a single axel, a double/double combination and popped another jump. Thirteenth in the free and overall.

Katherine Hadford

As I said in the short program this girl must be Swiss, she has those great spins like Natalie Krieg and Lucinda Ruh, very fast and with very complicated, pretty positions. She did a double axel, a triple toe/double toe combination. She did a Charlotte spiral. She landed a triple salchow/double jump combination, I think she had another double on the end to make a series but I can't quite read that part of my notes. She did a double axel/double toe combination and a spread eagle into a double lutz. She fell on a salchow and then landed another double jump. She ended with an amazing combination spin that included Bielman spins done on both feet. Were it not for the evil no bear throwing rule I would have showered her with teddies. She finished second in the free skate and pulled up to fourth overall. No wonder my friend Ann only lists jump counts, my neck is getting so sore from looking down at this laptop.

Lindsey Wilson

She did adouble axel, fell on a triple toe, tried a double axel but I saw that it was tilted in the air and she fell. She laned a double jump, a triple salchow/double toe jump. Her camel spin had nice extension. She did a spread eagle into a double loop, fell on a triple jump. She did a nice wavy motion with her arms in her layback spin. She did a double axel, a double jump with her hand over her head and a split jump. She did a camel/sit/change foot/camel/sit/scratch ending spin combination. Ninth in the free and eighth overall.

Erica Washington

She did a double/double combination that had nice distance in it. She fell on a jump, and fell on a double axel. She landed a double loop, a double axel but fell on a salchow poor kid. She has a beautiful layback spin. She landed two other double jumps. She did a split jump with nice extension. Twelfth in the free and eleventh overall.

Jillian Asby

She did a double axel, two other double jumps, and then unfortunately fell on a triple salchow. She had a nice back position in her sit spin. She landed a triple toe/double toe combination, two footed a double axel and did another double/double loop combination. Eighth in the free skate and seventh overall.

Anna Peng

She did a triple/double toe combination, unfortunately both jumps were two footed. She did a ½ loop into a triple which she fell on. She had a pretty camel spin, and I think my notes say she did a little hop when she changed feet. She did a very pretty spiral. She stepped out of a double axel and then did a double salchow. She did a layback into a Beilman spin that was also very pretty. She has lovely line. She did a double jump and stepped out of a double axel, then landed another double jump. She has a gorgeous back in her sit spin, straight as a ruler. Dick Button will swoon when she gets to seniors. Fifth in the free skate and fifth overall.

Erica Archambault

She smiled a lot. She did an ina baur into a double axel and had nice flow coming out of the axel. She fell on a triple jump, did a double/double/double loop series. She did a double jump and fell on another triple jump and then poor thing fell two more times. Poor kitten somebody buy this kid some ice cream. She is quite graceful. She was tenth in the free skate and tenth overall.

Danielle Kahle

Look up the definition of spitfire in the dictionary, see that picture of a cute redhead that is Danielle. She is quite the charmer, tons of expression. She just flies across the ice landing jumps here and there. She landed a double axel, a double axel/double toe combination, a triple/double combination, another triple she almost had to put her hand down on, but held on. She did a a triple salchow/double toe combination, a double jump, a split jump into a double axel and another double jump. She is fast and she has a nice program to the Mack and Mabel overture. She ended with a flying sit spin into a blur scratch spin. Clearly the winner. First in the free our Novice Lady Champion.

Lisa Dannemiller

Lisa also had good speed and skated to Evita. She did a spread eagle into a double axel. She landed a double lutz, a triple salchow, a double jump, another double jump and a double axel/double toe combination. She did a spread eagle into a triple jump. She has pretty spin position with good speed. She has nice line. She was fourth in the free skate and third overall.

Natalie Mecher

I am so sorry but Natalie skated last and the only notes I have are jump notes. I am sure she has many fine qualities to her skating that I just was too tired to write down. She did a double axel, a triple jump, a triple/double combination, a double lutz/double loop combination. She did a flying sit spin and fell out of a triple salchow. She did a double axel and another double jump. Third in the free skate and second overall.

Copyright © 2002, Antoinette M. Aubert