Several Sun Valley free skaters, ice dancers, and even a budding young pairs skater, made their skills official last Saturday during a U.S. Figure Skating Association test session hosted by the Sun Valley Figure Skating Club.
The event was part of a busy summer for local figure skaters, beginning with July's annual Summer Championships and the U.S. National Collegiate Championships, followed by a USFS test session in July and the most recent USFS test session last weekend.
The summer's grand finale will take place Saturday, Sept. 10 with an event called "Battle of the Blades: Ice It's Hard!" It will feature nine local celebrities paired with pro skaters to compete for a cash prize donation to their favorite local non-profit. For details and online ticket purchases visit www.battleoftheblades.org.
USFS Free Skate and Free Dance tests rank free skaters and ice dancers for competition. Free Skate tests examine the quality of jumps, spins, footwork and spirals, and Free Dance tests examine lifts, dance spins, step sequences and twizzles.
Pattern Dance tests are prerequisite tests for ice dancers. Moves in the Field Tests are prerequisite tests taken by both free skaters and ice dancers. These test a skater's form and edge control, as well as stroking power and quality.
The following local skaters passed USFS tests in August:
Free Skate
Nicole Pratt—Junior Free Skate. Isabella Bourret—Juvenile Free Skate. Grace Cleveland—Pre-Preliminary Free Skate.
Free Dance
Grace Hoffman—Intermediate Free Dance.
Pairs
Abby Chase --Juvenile Pair.
Moves in the Field
Natalie Kapp—Junior Moves. Caitlin Sholtis—Novice Moves. Isabella Bourret—Intermediate Moves. Emma Stuessi—Pre-Juvenile Moves. Alex Stuessi—Preliminary Moves. Rod Harten—Pre-Preliminary Moves.
Pattern Dance
Fanny Horn—Adult Starlight Waltz. Lisa Marie Allen—Kilian and Blues, completing pre-Gold level; Starlight Waltz.
Natalia Irvine—European Waltz, Foxtrot and 14-step, completing Pre-Silver Dance level; also, American Waltz, Rocker Foxtrot and Tango, completing Silver Dance level.
Grace Hoffman—Kilian and Paso Doble. Abby Chase—Kilian and Blues. Ashley Clark—Kilian and Blues. Alexandra Harten—Rocker Foxtrot. Shayna Moellenberg—European Waltz and Foxtrot, completing the Pre-Silver Dances.
