Rachael Leaves Rest of Junior Ladies Field Looking Flatt
by Alexandra Stevenson  St. Louis -- Skating first in the junior ladies short program at the 2006 State Farm U.S. Championships, Rachael Flatt (
BroadmoorSC) got the event off to a terrific and graceful start. She completed all eight required elements with a softness and pizzazz perfectly suited to her Nessun Dorma music, the famous “No One Sleeps” aria from Puccini’s Opera “Turandot.”
Unfortunately for the other 11 competitors, she set a standard no one else could match.
Flatt, who performed in a light pink sleeveless outfit, lies 7.73 points ahead of Ashley Wagner (Anchorage FSC), who is second going into Friday’s free skate.
Skating first did not faze Flatt.
“I’d rather skate first than last,” she said. “I don’t like waiting around. I’ve skated first a lot.”
Flatt, who, at 13, is the second-youngest entry, confidently performed her jumps. Her triple flip-double toe combination received the base value for the move (6.8 points), while the triple Lutz got a slightly negative (-0.29) grade of execution (GOE) from the panel of judges.
Her double Axel, from an outside spread eagle, a move first performed by the incomparable Peggy Fleming, was rewarded with a slightly positive GOE (+0.14).
Flatt gained the maximum – level 4 – for both her spins, and level 3 for both her circular-step and spiral sequences.
Asked what she will be working on after doing so well, Flatt said, “Polishing moves and trying for level 4 in the other two moves.”
The blonde, 4’7” Flatt, who was U.S. novice champion last year, attends school full-time, which is unusual for this level of competitor. Her mother is a molecular biologist and her father a biochemical engineer, and both place great importance on education.
Flatt’s coach, Tom Zakrajsek, explained, “Rachael does two sessions before school, starting at 6 a.m., and two after. Fortunately, the school is close to the rink.”
He also said that Flatt’s high levels were “a testimonial to her attention to detail, making sure she does the required number of revolutions in each position in the spins and holding the spirals for the required length of time. In competition, sometimes competitors’ adrenaline starts racing, and they speed up their counting.”
Most impressive was the combination spin, which has countless positions and ends with what they call a “victory” position.
“It’s the held-foot, high-kick position that Rudy Galindo finished his program with when he won the U.S. title,” Zakrajsek said. “It’s just so associated with that incredible moment that that’s what we always call it.”
Flatt said that competing under the new system is harder than the old one.
“I, personally, have to think about each part of each move,” Flatt said. “You can’t stop counting or concentrating for one moment.”
Her closet rival, Wagner, is just 0.36 points ahead of the third-place skater, Melissa Bulanhagui (University of Delaware FSC).
The 14-year-old Wagner was attired in black with silver trimming. She accomplished the same jumps as Flatt, receiving the base value for the double Axel and triple Lutz but getting a slightly negative GOE for her combination because the landing on the triple flip was a little scratchy.
The step sequence was executed with an exuberant bounce, with Wagner’s ponytail bouncing in time to her music selection, which was a combination from the “Henry V” soundtrack and Prokofiev’s “Romeo & Juliet” ballet.
The exhausting travel demands often placed on skaters are no problem for Wagner, who is an experienced traveler. She was born in Germany. Her father, recently retired, was in the military.
“We moved nine times in 14 years,” said Wagner. “I think it’s better for my whole entire experience because I’ve gotten to train with so many coaches.”
Although she lists her hometown as Eagle River, Alaska, when her father was assigned to work at the Pentagon, she moved to Alexandria, Va., four years ago and has since been coached by Shirley Hughes.
Hughes said, “She has done extremely well in that time because she’s a hard worker. She’s won PacificCoast and Northwest regionals, this season as a junior and last as a novice, and the North American Challenge (Skate). She does a lot of Pilates and a lot of dance in the summer, but when she came to me she already could do the Biellmann position.”
Bulanhagui got third despite falling on the first jump of what was to be her combination, the triple flip. She received credit only for a double and was saddled with both the mandatory minus-one point for the fall and minus-three GOE.
“I was surprised I was third after falling,” admitted the 15-year-old Bulanhagui.
Her high place was earned by her high component scores and her final move, the change foot combination spin, which was awarded a level 4 with a +0.29 GOE. That earned her a total of 3.79. That same move for Wagner was only level 2 and got a slightly negative GOE (-0.17).
Wagner received only two level 3’s, and her serpentine step sequence was deemed a level 1.
Bulanhagui’s high component score resulted from her interestingly choreographed, high-energy routine set to music from the martial arts movie “House of the Flying Dragons.”
Bulanhagui went as far as copying the green forehead tattoo that marks the star female fighter who wins against all odds. (Bulanhagui’s was a temporary tattoo.) There were lots of arm punches and kicks, perfectly matching the intent of the music.
“One of the skaters (Traighe Rouse) at my rink is very into that, and he worked with me to make it look realistic,” Bulanhagui added.
Megan Hyatt, representing the Wagon Wheels FSC, is fourth after falling on her triple Lutz. Taking off the compulsory one point for the fall and the minus-three GOE, Hyatt still earned three points for this move because she did complete the rotation.
Her combination was a smooth triple Salchow-double toe, and her double Axel was done from an Ina Bauer. Decked in black and silver, Hyatt performed to “Canvas” by Keiko Matsui, choreographed by Oleg Epstein and polished by Susie Wynne Barth.
Asked what took the most amount of energy in the program, Hyatt said neither the spins nor jumps but “the footwork, because you have keep going all through it. You can’t slack off at all if you want to get a high level.”
Skating after the ice resurface, Molly Oberstar (Duluth FSC), performing in a green-yellow get-up, is fifth, only 0.02 behind Hyatt. Although she did it well, her solo jump was only a double Lutz, and her spiral sequence was only level 1.
Katrina Hacker (Rye FSC), interpreting the soft “Illumination” by Secret Garden, also presented a double Lutz and a level 1 spiral sequence, and is currently in sixth place. |