Sun Valley ice dancer Chloe Lewis and her partner, Logan Bye of Colorado Springs, Colo., captured gold during the Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships Nov. 9-13 in Culver City, Calif.
Community School fifth-grader Lewis, 10, and Bye competed in a four-team field by skating two compulsory dances and one free dance. Lewis and Bye placed first in all three dances, ending with a score more than 10 points higher than the second-place team.
The win qualifies the pair for competition at the 2011 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships Dec. 14-18 at Salt Lake City. Judy Blumberg coaches Lewis. The team trains in Colorado with Bye's coach, Patti Gottwein.
In the U.S., ice dancers begin qualifying competition at one of three Sectional Championships, whereas individual free skaters qualify for Sectionals by medaling at one of nine Regional Championships.
Sun Valley last sent an Intermediate level dance team to Junior Nationals in 2001. Abby Chase and Alex Sullivan competed at Juvenile last year.
< Sun Valley's Regional Junior Ladies Free Skate Champion, Shayna Moellenburg, also competed at the Section Championships last week.
Competing in a challenging field of 12 other regional free skate medalists, Moellenburg placed ninth in her Short Program and eighth in her Free Skate, finishing eighth overall.
Also last weekend, seven local skaters passed USFS tests at Ogden, Utah.
Caitlin Sholtis passed her Intermediate Free Skate test, and Isabella Bourret passed Preliminary Free Skate. Free Skate tests determine a skater's competitive free skate level.
Five skaters passed Moves in the Field tests.
Sheldon Gentling and Tara Ware passed Pre-Juvenile Moves, Tatum Fuller passed Preliminary Moves, and Christine Dufur and Sage Curtis passed Pre-Preliminary Moves. Grace Hoffman passed the European Waltz, the Foxtrot and the 14 Step, completing her Pre-Silver Ice Dancing level in Utah last October.
Courtesy photo
Ice dancers Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye.
