Have you heard this one? So a nursing assistant, pediatrician and airline pilot skate into an ice rink and - sorry, I couldn't resist. The 11 men skating in the Championship Gold Men's event at the 2008 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships in Lake Placid, New York, were exciting to watch. I still can't get over the fact that in Championship events at Adult Nationals, there are no age categories, so 20 somethings are out there with 40 somethings and beyond, for a place on the podium. Although there is a general consensus that the point of adult skating is to enjoy the sport on many levels, including the camaraderie that develops in the adult community, these adults like to win also!
Keith Newcombe, age 28, from the Starlight Ice Dance Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota, took first place with a beautiful skate to Piano Concerto #2 by Rachmaninov. I thought Keith had a real nice sweeping style to his skating that made his jumps and spins pleasing to the eye. Keith is a nursing assistant from Minneapolis and started skating at age 19. He was self-taught for the most part and decided to work with a coach about two years ago after making a commitment to learn edges, spins and proper technique. Since then, he's progressed rapidly and hopes to take his intermediate tests in the upcoming season. If he passes, it will allow him the opportunity to compete in Championship Masters at next year's Adult Nationals in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Championship Masters event is the highest level that the men can be entered in at Adult Nationals. (photo above, from left to right, gold medalist Keith Newcombe,
bronze medalist Ross Luxton and pewter medalist Liam Cowper. Not
pictured is silver medalist Christopher Williams.)
Christopher Williams, age 46, from the FSC of Minneapolis, took the silver medal with a program set to Shades of Blue and the finale of the Negro Symphony by Dawson. Christopher began competing in Adult Nationals in 2001 and won this event in 2004. His days are kept busy being a pediatrician, coaching hockey during the season, while fitting in his practice, which is generally five days a week, an hour before work and an hour afterwards. Christopher has an 11-year-old son, whom he said likes the "cheap" sports, such as basketball and soccer.
Ross Luxton, a 48-year-old airline pilot from the IceWorks SC in Aston, Pennsylvania, captured the bronze with a jazzy rendition of From Russia with Love. Ross spent six years (1987-1993) as a chorus skater for Disney on Ice. He quit in 1993 (or thought he quit) but like many, missed everything about skating and came back in 2004. Being a pilot gives Ross the flexibility to train (he explained that pilots can only fly 30 hours a week so he may have multiple days off if he's worked continuous days) and also has the added benefit of flying internationally on huge discount fares. Because of the latter, Ross has competed at the ISU Adult Figure Skating Championships in Obertsdorf, Germany, and encourages more adults to attend international events.
After watching and speaking to the Championships Gold Men skaters, I was struck by how each of them found a few hours each week to practice and take lessons. You know the adage (normally heard in an office environment), "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it"? I find that the busiest people are committed adult skaters! Go figure...
Note: U.S. Figure Skating does not allow the media to film the actual competition; however, if you are an icenetwork subscriber, you can watch many of the performances on video.
Complete results for the Championship Gold Men are as follows:
Pl. |
Name |
Total segment score |
Total element score |
Program component score |
1 |
Keith Newcombe Starlight Ice Dance Club |
34.61 |
13.40 |
21.21 |
2 |
Christopher Williams FSC of Minneapolis |
33.05 |
12.46 |
20.59 |
3 |
Ross Luxton Ice Works SC |
32.01 |
10.74 |
21.27 |
4 |
Liam Cowper Uncle Sam FSC |
30.21 |
11.94 |
19.27 |
5 |
Dennis Palaganas Washington FSC |
29.42 |
11.81 |
17.61 |
6 |
Jeffery Buchanan Thoroughbred FSC |
28.95 |
10.84 |
18.11 |
7 |
Franklin Romero American Academy FSC |
28.63 |
12.91 |
16.72 |
8 |
Mark Pepin SC of Boston |
28.47 |
9.11 |
19.36 |
9 |
Matthew Leissring Vaca Valley FSC |
27.64 |
11.36 |
16.28 |
10 |
Steven Wright Saratoga Springs FSC |
27.19 |
10.05 |
17.14 |
11 |
Richard Breitweiser North Jersey FSC |
19.90 |
8.19 |
12.71 |