Laurel Springs News and Information

We are so proud of our students, brother and sister duo Madison and Keiffer Hubbell, as they conquered the free dance and the title at the Junior Grand Prix in Sofia, Bulgaria, last week. Skating to “Canto alla Vita” by Josh Groban, the Hubbells scored 72.15 points, to collect 154.15 total in their first year as juniors on the international circuit.

“I'm proud,” Keiffer said. “This is our first international year as juniors, and we skated really well. We're satisfied with the week. It's just an honor to be here and to compete against such amazing competitors.”

LSS Alumna Tanith Belbin and her partner, Ben Agosto, the 2006 Olympic Silver Medalists, competed at the 2006 Marshalls US Figure Skating Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 10^th. At the fan-voting event, they performed their tango original dance during the live ABC broadcast. They were scheduled to leave for

Russia

on Tuesday, Dec. 12, and were getting in one last practice on Dec. 11 when Ben Agosto pulled his back muscles while lifting Tanith.

Belbin and Agosto qualified for the Grand Prix Final by medaling at their two Grand Prix Series assignments this season. They finished Second at the Cup of China behind the Russian team of Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, then finished First at the Cup of Russia, outscoring their Russian opponents by one point.

Rae Porter Blackwell Daniel Raad

Another LSS student headed for Nationals this January is Daniel Raad. Daniel has had a very successful competitive season this year in the Junior Men's division. He placed First at the North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championship in Jamestown, New York, in October. He then advanced to the Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championship held in Alpharetta, Georgia, in November, where his Second Place finish qualified him to compete at the 2007 State Farm US Figure Skating Championship which is scheduled for January 21 - 28, 2007, in Spokane, Washington.

Rae Porter-Blackwell (10^th Grade Laurel Springs) has been a member of the California Northstars Synchronized Figure Skating Team since 2005. His team recently took Fourth Place at the 2006 Anaheim Ice Synchronized Skating Competition in Anaheim, California, on November 12, 2006, and First place in the qualified intermediate category at the 2006 Bay Cities Synchronized Team Skating Championships in Berkeley, California, on December 2^nd. They will be competing in Chicago at the 2007 USFSA Combined Mid-West and Pacific Coast Synchronized Sectional Championships in January. Last year, they won the 2006 USFS Sectional Gold Medalist title in the Open Juvenile class at the Pacific Coast Sectionals held in Seattle.

Nicholas Alexander & Cassie Andrews

Hundreds of young skaters converged on Strongsville, Ohio, (20 miles south of Cleveland), for the 2006 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships, and many were Laurel Springs Students!

The 2006 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships, held Nov. 27-Dec. 2, at the Ice Land USA rink in Strongsville, Ohio, is the U.S. Championship competition for juvenile and intermediate skaters sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. Approximately 360 skaters from around the country compete in the event, held annually since 1991.

The U.S. Junior Championships constitute the pinnacle of success for U.S. juvenile and intermediate skaters. Placement at the nine regional championships, held in October, determined advancement to the championships. All of us at Laurel Springs are proud of our students who did just that. Marilyn Mosley Gordanier, our Executive Director, and Amber Walker, our Head of Marketing/PR, were there to support our skaters and watch them compete.

Notably, these talented youngsters excel not only on the ice, but in their school work as well; perhaps because they are able to devote time to their studies when they are best prepared, physically and emotionally, to tackle the challenges of learning in an environment that is conducive to their individual styles. These students have goals and dreams, but they are practical as well.

Amber Walker and Nicholas Anderson

The Laurel Springs classmates began their winning streak right off. Intermediate Pairs, Cassie Andrews and LSS student Nicholas Anderson, of Indiana World Skating Academy, took First Place with clean jumps, fluidity, and unison on the ice. The two skaters won the crown last year at the Juvenile level, and now, they’ve given another commanding performance with the same result.

“We did our best,” Anderson said, adding that he and Andrews weren't too nervous as the final pairs skated. “It didn't matter what happened after we skated, because we knew we did the best we could.”

The pair had the highest technical element score, landing side-by-side double flips, a throw double flip, side-by-side double Salchow-double-toe combination, and a throw triple loop. They earned a level four for their side-by-side combination spin. Next year, it's on to Novice for Andrews and Anderson, and with it, tougher elements. “More difficult lifts, jumps, and then triple throws,” said Anderson.

Fifth place in Intermediate Pairs went to Cali Fujimoto and Nicholas Barsi-Rhyne, of Peninsula, South Carolina. Cali and her sister, Jena, are long-time Laurel Springs students. Jena graduated two years ago, and now attends the University of California, Santa Barbara. We are very proud of both girls. Nicolas Barsi-Rhyne also competed in Intermediate Mens, as did Laurel Springs students Kevin Coppola of Boston, and Matej Silecky of New York.

Meghan Erikson and Marilyn

Although our sole Intermediate Lady, Meghan Erikson, didn’t qualify to go on, we were happy to see her skate, knowing we’ll more than likely see her again next year, along with Lisa and Brian Krentz, from Skokie Valley Skating Club, who competed in Juvenile pairs, and Meleah Hansen and Nicholas Jesionek, of Strongsville, who came in 14^th in Juvenile Dance (what a valiant effort and a real pleasure to watch them skate). We missed our LSS skaters who we’ve seen for a few years now: Nate Bartholomay, Ross Minor, Chase Brogan, Sara Bailey, the Donnelly’s, Katy Dano, Amanda Dobbs, Marissa Spector, and Gabriella Weissmann.

Lisa and Brian Krentz with Marilyn and Amber

We have many more skaters, but these are the ones we’ve come to know over the years. We do look forward to seeing all our skaters taking their talent to new levels.

A special note to all of our skaters at the competition: Thanks for making us feel so welcome! We’re honored that you chose Laurel Springs School as the cornerstone of your education.

‘Tis the Season to be Skating