Montgomery County ice dancers heading to World Juniors
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This is an important step in their careers. They’ll be one of the youngest, if not the youngest, pair competing. At the junior level, boys can compete until they are 22 and girls can until they are 20. With so much time left to develop, Kiliakov believes bigger competitions are in their future.…" |
Ice dancers Lorraine McNamara (right), 14, and Quinn Carpenter, 16, practice at the Cabin John Ice Rink on Friday. Dan Gross/The Gazette |
Ice dancing siblings from Bethesda perform with Olympic champions
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…Their next goal is to qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January. They compete at the novice level against pairs who usually are 14-18 years old, said their mother Nicole Ugel. “Our goal is to go to the Olympics and win,” Luca said. The brother and sister team is on the ice two to three hours per day, six days per week, with the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy. Their training program also includes ballet, ballroom dancing, and muscle training…" |
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Gigi and Luca Becker performed
Sept. 8 at Ice Champions LIVE!, a fundraiser that included Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano. |
Siblings are smooth on the ice
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Michael Parsons, 16, and Rachel Parsons, 14, are siblings from Rockville, Maryland, who compete as an ice dance team at the national and international levels, often training up to 35 hours a week! Both go to public schools; Michael is a high school sophomore and Rachel is in eighth grade…" |
Michael and Rachel Parsons perform during the free-dance event at the first winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. Photo Courtesy of Kerstin Joensson, Associated Press |
Miller, MacMillan tango, waltz their way to lead
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…The youngsters, who have skated together for 10 months, train at Alexei Kiliakov's Wheaton Skating Academy in Maryland, one of the nation's leading grass-roots ice dance centers. Last season's U.S. novice champions, Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons, train at Wheaton, and it has five teams competing here this week. It also fielded six teams at the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in December…" |
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Whitney Miller found her step in the Starlight
Waltz by imagining she was at a ball. Photo Courtesy of Tom Briglia |
Eliana Gropman and Ian Somerville - 2012 US Juvenile Ice Dance Champions
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"…[Eliana and Ian] have medaled in every competition that they have entered. This season, their first in Juvenile, they won Gold Medals at both the Eastern Sectional Championships and the US Junior National Championships, and they received USFSA Special Achievement pins for their free dance performances at sectionals and nationals..." |
Eliana Gropman and Ian Somerville Photo Courtesy of Barry Gropman |
Gropman and Somerville ride 'Moon River' to gold
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"Gropman and Somerville considered their "Moon River" free dance as close to perfect as it could be and were credited with 45.69 points for their efforts. The skaters, who are members of the Washington FSC, totaled 83.71 points for the competition, eclipsing their winning score at the Eastern Sectional Championships by five points..." |
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Eliana Gropman and Ian Somerville danced
away with the juvenile gold medal. Photo Courtesy of TSS Photography |
Becker siblings rule intermediate ice dance
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"Michael Jackson's "Jam" and "Stranger in Moscow" played as Gigi Becker and Luca Becker skated across the ice during their program. The pair came in first place in the intermediate dance with a total score of 96.21 points at the U.S. Junior Championships. Coaches Dmytri Ilin and Alexei Kiliakov were impressed with the Beckers' skate..." |
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Gigi Becker and Luca Becker won both pattern
dances and the free dance en route to gold. Photo Courtesy of TSS Photography |
Beckers take slim lead after pattern dance
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"…Gigi Becker and Luca Becker (Washington FSC), who are the reigning U.S. juvenile silver medalists, lead with a total of 48.32 points. "I think those were our best pattern dances ever," Luca said as his sister nodded in emphatic agreement. Though they enjoyed exhibiting their pattern dances Tuesday, the real fun comes when they perform their free dance to a Michael Jackson medley...." |
Gigi Becker and Luca Becker combined for 48.32 points in the intermediate pattern dance. Photo Courtesy of TSS Photography |
Cool: The unique thrill of ice skating in summer
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Winning pair's routine is anything but
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Parsons siblings ride "Firebird" to novice title
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…The siblings, who train at the Wheaton Ice Academy in Maryland under Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak and Dmytri Ilin, skated with other partners until this season. Now, they're firmly committed to building a career together. "We really want to move up to juniors next season and maybe start traveling internationally," Rachel said.…" |
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Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons topped
the novice dance field in Greensboro. Photo Courtesy of Paul Harvath |
Parsons siblings lead after novice compulsories
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"…Kiliakov's top novice team, siblings Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons, led the 12-team pack with wins in both the Blues and Paso Doble, two dances that date back to 1930s Britain, when George VI sat on the throne..." |
Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons have a Photo Courtesy of Michelle Harvath |
Novice Free Dance Report
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Gigi and Luca Becker - Wheaton Ice Skating Academy Skaters
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"Gigi and Luca Becker won the silver medal in the juvenile dance division at the 2011 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City. They train at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy, which is an ice dancing program for children based in Maryland. Skaters are trained in groups. The program is open to skaters of all ages and levels...." |
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Wheaton Ice Dance Academy Skaters, Gigi and Luca Becker, Smile With Their Mother at the 2011 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships In Salt Lake City, Utah - December 17, 2010 Photo Courtesy of Photo by Jo Ann Schneider Farris |
Lorello, Dean in first after pattern dances
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Wheaton club skates to national glory
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Athletes from across the U.S. attend Junior Figure Skating Championships
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Parsons, MacMillan take intermediate dance title
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Parsons, 12, and MacMillan, 12, train under Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak and Dmytri Ilin, at Wheaton Skating Academy in Maryland and are in their second year together. They finished first in both compulsory dance events, the Foxtrot and American Waltz, and then rounded out the event with a 55.84 free dance score en route to the gold medal…" |
Rachel Parsons and Kyle MacMillan won the intermediate ice dancing title in Strongsville. Photo Courtesy of Becca Staed Bishop |
Tough love makes top contenders
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"Most of the skaters at the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy can't even drive yet, but many of them say they're already veterans when it comes to competing on the national scene…" |
Andrew Hickey of Silver Spring poses during the free skate competition with his partner, Katherine Gourianova of Potomac, at last month's Eastern Sectionals Championships in Boston, where he and his partner qualified for the U.S. Junior National Figure Skating Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. Hickey, 13, was competing at the national level for the first time after joining the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy two years ago. Photo Courtesy of ActionPhotos.com |
Interviews:
Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter
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"You competed in the Open Finnstep at Lake Placid, which was the first time this dance had been competed. What was this experience like for you? What made you decide to compete this compulsory, especially since it is skated by the competitors at the senior level?…" |
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2008 Lake Placid Ice
Dance
Championships Photo Courtesy of Katie Weigel |
Gilles, Donohue shine in Lake Placid
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Behind the scenes at Lake Placid
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Young Skating Surprise
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"WHEATON, MD (USA) - They glide across the ice to songs that were produced before they were born…" |
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Athletes Moving on the Cutting Edge of
Competition
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"Wheaton Ice Dancing Academy instructor Alexei Kiliakov watches as Chevy Chase resident Ross Gudis practices an ice dancing move on a Friday night at Wheaton Ice Arena…" |
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