About Us

KID SPOTLIGHT

January 2001

Age: 8

Hometown: Chesapeake, Va.

Club: Tidewater FSC

Skating Level: Pre-preliminary freestyle and moves -- "I passed my pre-preliminary freestyle test in May 2000, but I competed in the level of preliminary, because it is more challenging."

Favorite Skaters: Evgeny Plushenko -- "I like his quad-triple toe-double loop combination. He has very good presentation and is a terrific jumper, and he is only 17 years old." Also, Michelle Kwan -- "She is very confident in her skating. It is a pleasure to watch her skating."

How often I skate: "I skate five days a week. I like to practice, because practice makes progress."

What I like about skating: Favorite jumps -- Axel, double Salchow and double flip. "I spend a lot of time working on doubles. Jumps make me feel like I am flying on the ice. I also like to do spins with my friends, especially side by side sit spins. My very first coach, Glenn Ziehnert (in Troy, N.Y.), made me feel like I was a good skater, and led me to know about the joy of skating. That is why I like to skate. I have learned a lot from ice skating. Practice and concentration are not only the most important key points in ice skating, but also are the key points in other fields."

My favorite skating moments: "Skating with my best friend YiYi in Troy, N.Y., and landing my first Axel in one month."
One of the best moments was when I got my first gold medal at the Lake Placid competition, because I landed my double Salchow cleanly and had a perfect program."

What else you should know about me: "My first USFSA competition was in Troy, N.Y. I competed with girls in freestyle because there were no other boys in that competition. I got second place and made a good friend with the girl who got first place. I also like to bowl and swim. My average score is 89 and best score was 128. I speak Chinese, too, because I go to Chinese school every Sunday afternoon during the school year."