One hundred and eighty five junior competitive figure skaters from 41 figure skating clubs across the nation and overseas arrived in Sun Valley for the 44^th Annual Sun Valley Summer Figure Skating Championships July 21-24 . Fifty two collegiate skaters joined them for the U.S. National Collegiate Championships, held simultaneously on Sun Valley's two famous ice sheets. With coaches, parents, siblings, and friends in tow, the two competitions drew an estimated 700-800 people to Sun Valley for a high energy weekend of competitive free skating, compulsory, ice dancing, and artistic events. Competitive theatrical and show skating events wrapped up the weekend with what has come to be known as "Showcase Sunday."  True to tradition, costume-clad theatrical skaters duked it out for trophies before a crowd of delighted spectators gathered on the lodge terrace and the bleachers. 

A  Community Event

Hosted annually by the Sun Valley Figure Skating Club, the Summer Championships has become one of the most popular and well attended non qualifying competitions in the Northwest Pacific region. This year, the competition attracted 41 skating clubs from coast to coast and from Hong Kong. Made possible by Gold Level sponsorship from Sun Valley Company and Wells Fargo, Silver Level sponsorship from Marketron and the Community School, and further support from loyal and ongoing sponsors Tully's, Grabher Construction and Daisy Langley Designs,  as well as 73 coaches, 21 US Figure Skating officials, and more than 50 volunteers from inside and outside the skating community, the competitions comprised a significant July event in the local economy. 

Special Award Winners

This year, Sun Valley skaters captured three of four Most Outstanding Program trophies as well as 19 gold medals, 13 silver, and 7 bronze, and 4 fourth place medals. Reserving Saturday for the Collegiate competition resulted in long days and larger-than-usual competitive groups, increasing the challenge for all skaters this year.  14 year old Alexandra Harten, a Community School freshman, won the Most Outstanding Showcase Trophy at the Juvenile -Senior level. Harten was ranked first of eleven Novice/Junior Ladies in her Showcase event. Chosen from a field of 21 Juvenile - Senior level showcase programs, her program tied three-time Outstanding Showcase trophy winner Charlie Schneider of the Denver FSC. Schneider won his Intermediate Mens Showcase event.   Wood River Middle Schooler Kenny Pratt won the Most Outstanding Showcase Trophy at the Basic Skills –Pre-Juvenile levels.  Pratt’s program was chosen from a field of 46 Basic Skills-Nontest  skaters. 14 year old Joyce Chan, a Community School freshman, won the trophy for the Most Outstanding Artistic Program at the Nontest-Intermediate levels. Chan finished first in her Intermediate Ladies Artistic competitive group of 5 skaters, and her program was selected  from a field of 45 skaters. Chan also won the Intermediate Ladies Second Place Combined Free Skate Award, finishing second in her Free Skate and third in her Short programs.  Junior NWP Regional Champion Shayna Moellenburg competed at the Senior Ladies Level, winning both her Free Skate and Short program and capturing the Senior Ladies Champion Combined Free Skate Award.

 All of this year’s special award winning programs were choreographed by internationally renowned choreographer and coach, Gia Guddat, whose recent professional work includes choreographing this years’ 75th anniversary Sun Valley Ice Show, Scott Hamilton’s televised Thanksgiving special, and an exhibition show tour choreographed for the US Olympic Gymnastics team.  Moellenberg’s primary coach is U. S. Figure Skating Technical Specialist and former Olympian Lisa-Marie Allen; Harten’s is 30 year veteran skating coach and SVFSC’s Collegiates Competition Chair Holly Wheeler, and Chan’s is Figure Skating Hall of Famer Sonya Dunfield. Pratt is coached by both Guddat and Darlin Baker. Baker has performed in the Sun Valley Ice Shows for 19 years.

Raising the Bar on Group Showcase/Theater On Ice

Sunday afternoon closed the competition with Sun Valley’s rapidly-becoming-famous group showcase showdown.  Three different local productions, as well as teams from Denver, Park City and Salt Lake, pulled out all the stops with over-the-top choreography, costumes, and professional quality music, thoroughly entertaining a crowd of spectators at Sun Valley’s beautiful outdoor rink. The Sun Valley Skate School’s breathtaking “Pirates of Redfish Lake” production swept for first place in the Large Group Showcase Event, featuring a huge cast of 29 skaters age 7 to 18 from the Sun Valley FSC, Hong Kong SU, and Desert Ice of Arizona.  Choreographed and produced by Sun Valley FSC coaches Gia Guddat and Craig Heath, this humorous spin off “Pirates of the Caribbean” featured excellent skating, impressive costumes, and spectacular props, many of which were made, enhanced or conceptualized by the skaters themselves. Heath, a coach and a Sun Valley Ice Show soloist known as  the “Spin Doctor,” coaches in Hong Kong during the school year and in Sun Valley in the Summer.   Capturing second place in the Large Group event, the 14 member Sun Valley Starz team treated the crowd to a jazzy, colorful rendition of the hit musical Oscar winning movie, “Chicago,” dazzling the audience with talented lead skaters backed by a hot pink chorus line.   Taking third in the Small Group event, five adorable young “Sun Valley Lion Cubz” charmed the socks off the audience by prowling the ice in shiny golden lion costumes. The Starz and Cubz numbers were produced and choreographed by Baker. 

Summary of Medalists

Listed in order of highest to lowest competitive free skate level, the following skaters won gold in individual or pairs events: In Senior Ladies:  Shayna Moellenberg (2); in Novice Ladies: Alex Harten (2) and Nicole Pratt; in Intermediate Ladies:  Joyce Chan (2); in Pre-Juvenile Girls/Boys: Isabella Bourret and Travis Flynt; in Pre Preliminary:  Alex Stuessi (2), Katie Peters and Blake Letourneau; in NontestGirls/Boys:  Kenny Pratt and Noelle Weaver; in Basic Skills Free Skate 4: Christine Dufur and Karsyn Gerringa; and in Basic Skills Basic 6, Saba Grossman. The following skaters won silver in individual or pairs events: Alex Harten, Joyce Chan, Travis Flynt, Emma Stuessi (2), Lane Letourneau (3), Sheldon Gentling, Tatum Fuller, Antonia Avery, Jessica Blackburn, and Jacqueline Cronin. The following skaters won bronze in individual or pairs events: Joyce Chan(2), Isabella Bourret, Emma Stuessi, Katie Peters, Isabella Cronin, and Murphy Kendall, and the following skaters won fourth place medals: Caitlin Sholtis, Tara Ware and Sage Curtis.

Large Group Showcase gold medalists were Sun Valley Skate School’s "Pirates of Redfish Lake": Daniel Leeds, Shayna Moellenberg, and Alex Harten (lead pirate love triangle), Julianna Lamb, Tiffany Lau, Joyce Chan, Rachael Trail, Louvinia Wong, Eunice Wong, Esa Lau (mermaids), Christine Forni, Sarah Swinford, Jenny Marziano, Delany Rah, Megan Desey, Lane Letourneau (older pirates), Scarlet Economou, Shea Mayfield, Carolyn Brooker, Blake Letourneau, Emma Stuessi, Alex Stuessi, Antonia Avery, Isabella Bourret, Noelle Weaver, Emma Dorinson, Ramona Chin, Cherry Lee and Samantha Li (younger pirates).     Large Group Showcase Silver Medalists were Sun Valley Starz’ "Chicago":   Nicole Pratt, Caitlin Sholtis and Kenny Pratt (featured leads), Katie Peters, Tara Ware, Claire Stickney, Sheldon Gentling, Aurora Wilkinson, Tatum Fuller, Sage Curtis, Sylvia Cogen, Karsyn Gerringa, Grace Cleveland and Christine Dufur (chorus line).  Small Group Showcase Bronze Medalists were, the Sun Valley Lion Cubz featured  Murphy Kendall, Jacqueline Cronin, Jessica Blackburn, Saba Grossman and Noelle LaFleur.

2011 Sun Valley Summer Championship Results

SENIOR LADIES:

Shayna Moellenberg: Free Skate - 1; Short program - 1; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1; Special Award:  Senior Ladies Combined Free Skate Champion

NOVICE LADIES:

Alex Harten:  Free Skate - 7; Artistic - 6; Showcase - 1; Interpretive Improv - 2; Group Showcase - 1; Pairs Showcase, Group B w/ Joyce Chan - 1. Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1; Winner of the Most Outstanding Juvenile-Senior Showcase Trophy.

Nicole Pratt:  Artistic – 1; Showcase-6; Group Showcase “Chicago” - 2

Telar McClure: Artistic - 9; Showcase -  9

INTERMEDIATE LADIES:

Joyce Chan: Free Skate - 2; Short Program - 3; Artistic - 1; Showcase - 3; Pairs Showcase, Group B w/Alex Harten - 1; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1; Winner of Most Outstanding Nontest-Intermediate Artistic Program Trophy; Special Award: Intermediate Ladies Combined Free Skate Second Place.

Caitlin Sholtis: Free Skate - 7; Short Program - 8; Showcase - 4; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” - 2

JUVENILE/OPEN JUVENILE:

Gracie Eagan: Showcase – 5

PRE-JUVENILE:

Isabella Bourret: Girls Free Skate, Group A - 3; Artistic - 7; Showcase - 1;  ; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

Tara Ware: Girls Free Skate, Group A - 6; Interpretive Improv - 4; Showcase - 7; Pairs Showcase w/Claire Stickney-5; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” - 2

Travis Flynt: Boys Free Skate - 2; Artistic - 1;

PRELIMINARY:

Emma Stuessi: Girls Free Skate, Group B - 2; Artistic-2; Showcase - 3; Pairs Showcase, Group A - 2 w/ Lane Letourneau; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

PRE-PRELIMINARY:

Katie Peters: Girls Free Skate, Group B-3; Artistic, Group B - 5; Showcase, Group B - 1; . Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2

Alex Stuessi: Girls Free Skate, Group B - 5; Artistic, Group A - 1; Showcase, Group A - 1; Pairs Showcase, Group A - 1 w/ Blake Letourneau. Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

Lane Letourneau: Girls Free Skate, Group B - 7; Artistic, Group B - 2; Showcase, Group B - 2; Pairs Showcase, Group A - 2 w/ Emma Stuessi;  Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

Blake Letourneau: Girls Free Skate, Group A - 5; Artistic, Group A - 5; Showcase, Group A - 5: Pairs Showcase, Group A - 1 w/ Alex Stuessi. Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

Claire Stickney: Girls Free Skate, Group C-8; :  Pairs Showcase, Group B w/Tara Ware - 5,  Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

Sheldon Gentling:  Girls Free Skate, Group A-9; Showcase, Group A - 2; . Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2

NONTEST:

Aurora Wilkinson: Girls Free Skate-7; Artistic-10; Pairs Showcase, Group A -7 w/ Tatum Fuller; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2

Tatum Fuller: Girls Free Skate-11; Artistic-10; Showcase-2; Pairs Showcase, Group A-7 w/ Aurora Wilkinson; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2

Kenny Pratt: Boys Showcase-1; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2. Winner of the Most Outstanding  Basic Skills through Pre-Juvenile Level Showcase Trophy.

Noelle Weaver: Interpretive Improvisation-1; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” – 1

BASIC SKILLS FREE SKATE 4

Christine  Dufur: Girls Free Skate, Group B-1 Tie w/Karsyn Gerringa; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

Karsyn Gerringa: Girls Free Skate, Group B-1 Tie w/Christine Dufur; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

Antonia Avery: Girls Free Skate, Group A - 2; Showcase - 5; Large Group Showcase “Pirates” –1

Isabella Cronin: Girls Free Skate, Group A - 3; Small Group Showcase “Lion Cubz” – 3.

BASIC SKILLS FREESKATE 1

Sage Curtis: Girls Free Skate - 4; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

BASIC SKILLS BASIC 6

Saba Grossman:  Girls Free Skate - 1; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

Jessica Blackburn:  Girls Free Skate - 2; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

BASIC SKILLS BASIC 4

Murphy Kendall:Girls Free Skate - 3; Artistic – 5; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.

Jaqueline Cronin: Girls Free Skate - 2; Large Group Showcase “Chicago” – 2.