Tanovich and Chau Prove to Be Class of Novice Pairs Field
by Mickey Brown
In the tunnel leading from the ice to the warm-up area, following the announcement of the marks for the last team, Daniyel Cohen bearhugged Michael Chau and hoisted him high into the air.
Not that Chau needed a lift at that point.
He and his diminutive, 10-year-old partner Tracy Tanovich had just won the 2007 U.S. novice pairs championship, a year after a third-place finish at this event in St. Louis, Mo.
Up by 2.73 points after the short program, Tanovich and Chau (Southwest Florida FSC) ran away with the title, beating runners-up Cohen and Caitlin Yankowskas by more than 11 points (128.76-117.02).
Their “Don Quixote” program was a hit with the Spokane Arena denizens, as many of the fans in attendance rose to their feet at its conclusion.
“(The best part of the program was) hearing the crowd at the end. They went nuts. It was great to hear that,” Tanovich said. “We had the crowd behind us the whole program.”
Chau revealed that he has done ballet to the same piece of music. He proved he knows his history, too, pointing out that Great Britain’s John Curry used the score for Cervantes’ timeless classic to win the gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.
Tanovich and Chau nailed both of their throws – a double Salchow and a double loop – and their spins were exemplary.
“Our component (scores) were all fives, which is very good for a novice pairs team,” Tanovich said. “We were trying to really work the new system to our advantage, and it really paid off.”
Though there are no records to support it, the possibility is strong that the Lilliputian-sized Tanovich could be the youngest person to earn a medal at a U.S. Championships.
“I’m proud of her,” Chau said. “For such a young age, she did so well.”
Yankowskas (Colonial FSC) and Cohen (Elite Training Academy) were not as pleased with their performance of “Swan Lake,” even though it moved them up from fourth after the short program to second overall.
“It wasn’t our greatest program, but we put out everything we had. A couple elements were shaky,” Cohen said. “Two of our lifts weren’t as great as they usually are.”
Their silver medal marks a huge improvement over their showing last year in St. Louis, where they came in 10th. Both they and Tanovich and Chau said they’re moving on to the junior ranks next season.
Third place went to the Aaron Parchem-coached team of Jaylyn Kelly (Lansing SC) and Gabe Woodruff (Detroit SC), who finished just .06 points (117.02-116.96) out of the second spot. They went through their “Corpse Bride” program relatively cleanly, but their program components score (36.10) lagged behind, as they posted just the sixth-highest mark in that area.
Kelly and Woodruff differ in age by 11 years (he’s 23, she’s 12), but their harmony on the ice – and rapport off it – is evident.
Asked what his feelings were after medaling at the U.S. Championships, Woodruff said, “Relief, pride. Pride in how we skated. Relief to be done.”
One interesting note is that the top three finishers in Spokane comprised the U.S. team at the North American Challenge Skate in Pittsburgh, Pa., Aug. 24-27, 2006.
Brynn Carman (Broadmoor SC) and Christopher Knierim (Broadmoor SC) rose from eighth place after the short program to take fourth overall. |