Christopher Elder (Trinity Class of 2019) and Sophia Elder win National Dance Medals

[theguru]

Ice Dancing Journey.com announced that local ice dancing team and National Intermediate Dance Champions Christopher and Sophia Elder brought home a second-place free-dance medal for their outstanding performance at the 2015 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, held July 29-31 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

 

Christopher is a Trinity freshman and Sophia is a seventh-grader at St. Margaret Mary Catholic School. The brother-and-sister team won two significant medals; one silver medal in free dance and one bronze medal in pattern dances.

 

Eighteen teams competed in the free-dance competition, including three teams from Russia and one team from Canada.

 

“Christopher and Sophia have worked extremely hard this summer to be ready for the Novice level. Their skill development has improved tremendously, which helped them be competitive with several seasoned Novice teams. Donny and I are very proud of their effort and we look forward to a successful year of growth and further development,” stated coach Kelley Adair in a press release. The team is coached by Kelley and her husband, Donny Adair, a former U.S. Dance Champion. The Elders train at the Louisville Skating Academy.

 

Christopher Elder ?19 brings home silver and bronze medals from Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships

[Getslow]

Congrats to them. Can't be many skaters winning medals in anything from around here.

[theguru]

I agree Getslow, very impressive!

[theguru]

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY...January 25, 2016-- Ice Dancing Journey.com is proud to announce that local ice dancing team and 2015 US Figure Skating Intermediate Dance Champions, Christopher and Sophia Elder, brought home a Bronze Medal for their outstanding performance at the US 2016 Figure Skating Championships. The event was held January 15-17 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

Christopher Elder (14 years old) and Sophia Elder (12 years old) returned to the national event for the fifth year in a row and successfully completed all legs of the competition to win the Bronze Medal. Once again their program was skated to a medley of Jive/Swing/Jazz of "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy including four eye catching lifts. The routine was choreographed by LSA coach Kelley Morris-Adair. The Elder team is coached by Kelley and her husband Donny Adair, a former U.S. Dance Champion. The Elders train at the Louisville Skating Academy.

 

Press Release

[theguru]

Another outstanding achievement!

[afi100guy]

Does this put them on a path to the 2018 Olympics?

[theguru]

Does this put them on a path to the 2018 Olympics?

 

That is a great question and I have no idea.

 

Anyone?

[Getslow]

That is a great question and I have no idea.

 

Anyone?

 

They did not compete at the senior level. I don't know what "intermediate" or "novice" are as far as age or ability groupings but I do know you have to finish in the top three of the senior division in the US Championships in the January immediately preceding the Olympics to make the team.

[Getslow]

Been reading a bit. If I have it right, you have to be 15 years old in order to compete at the international level. That would mean that Sophia will not meet the age requirements in time for 2018.

 

They also apparently do a series of tests in front of judges to move up the various levels of skating. They moved from Intermediate up to Novice this year. The next level up is "Junior" and then finally "Senior". Once you move up, you can only compete at that level in competition.

 

I can't find much about these tests or how they work, but I'm strangely fascinated.

[afi100guy]

Been reading a bit. If I have it right, you have to be 15 years old in order to compete at the international level. That would mean that Sophia will not meet the age requirements in time for 2018.

 

They also apparently do a series of tests in front of judges to move up the various levels of skating. They moved from Intermediate up to Novice this year. The next level up is "Junior" and then finally "Senior". Once you move up, you can only compete at that level in competition.

 

I can't find much about these tests or how they work, but I'm strangely fascinated.

Thanks for the information. I always watch the figure skating and ice dancing (it was one of those things my mom and I did together as a kid). It would be great if a local team could make it to the big show.