A very long, but very nice day today at the USFSA figure skating competition in Columbus, OH. The girls had a great time and did a wonderful job.
Jenya tied for 1st on her compulsory and got 3rd on her program, Ana got 3rd on her program and 4th on her compulsory, and De got 1st place on her program. Their coach Crystal very kindly came all the way to Columbus just for them, and I think her being there helped them significantly in their skating. It was a lovely competition, too — small, but comfortable and well-run.
For anyone keeping track, Jenya and Ana have moved up from ISI (the recreational/intro skating path) to USFSA (the path that can eventually lead to nationals/olympics/etc). This is very cool, but leads to confusing terminology. In very broad terms, skaters go thru the whole ISI progression from Pre-Alpha to Delta, or the Basic Skills progression from Basic 1 to Basic 8, and only then can they start in USFSA in something like Limited Beginner Test Track. Which means you have to be a pretty good skater and have a year or two of competition experience before you can achieve the status of beginner…
De's Basic 2 program – 1st place out of 3:
Ana's Limited Beginner Test Track – 3rd place out of 6:
Jenya's Beginner Test Track – 3rd place out of 9: