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Group Soloists, Step-Outs
& Featured Highlights
Jun Chen
2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Senior Pewter Medalist
Jun Chen earned the pewter medal at the senior men’s 2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final. He is also an eight-time Eastern Sectional Singles Final competitor, three-time junior U.S. Championships competitor, and the 2018 & 2019 New England Regional Figure Skating champion. Nearly three years ago, Jun and his family moved to Massachusetts from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He’d make frequent trips to the Olympic Training Site in Colorado Springs, CO where he trained under Ryan Jahnke, Eddie Shipstad, Damon Allen, Janet Champion, and Eric Schultz. This past year, he had the opportunity to venture out of competitive skating and perform in shows around Boston, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, and New Mexico. He also teaches private lessons at The Club and continues to coach at The Club’s Skating Academy. Aside from skating, he is a freshman attending the Boston College Carroll School of Management, where he plans on pursuing Finance and Information Systems. It has been a challenge figuring out how to balance college life and a competitive skating career, but thanks to his coaches Suna Murray, Ryan Jahnke, and his father, Shin-Juh Chen, Jun looks forward to pursuing both and continuing to train at the Club.
Jonathan Hildebrandt
2020 Eastern Sectionals Singles Final Intermediate Silver Medalist
Jonathan first learned to skate at The Bog in Kingston when he was 4. He unwillingly played hockey for 3 years, until his parents realized his love for figure skating. He has been on the ice ever since, skating as much as he possibly can, and loving every minute.
He enjoys having the opportunity to skate with his friends at The Club. Competing in the juvenile boys event, Jonathan qualified for his first Eastern Sectionals in 2017. In 2019, Jonathan earned the silver medal at both the New England Regional Figure Skating Championships and the Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships, before becoming the juvenile boys bronze medalist at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This season, he was the 2020 New England Regionals Singles Challenge intermediate men’s champion before earning the silver at the 2020 Eastern Sectionals Singles Final which then earned him a spot at the 2020 U.S. National High Performance Development Camp in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jonathan is an 8th grader at Derby Academy in Hingham. He loves English and Art Classes. He studies French and enjoys cooking in his free time. He also likes spending time with his friends at the Paint Bar in Hingham. In his large family, he is the oldest sibling to Heyden, Grace, Brooks and Nicholas.
Anthony Ying
2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final Intermediate Pewter Medalist
Anthony Ying is a 9th grader at Commonwealth School in Boston. Since last year’s Ice Chips, he received the 2019 USFSA Athlete Alumni Ambassador Award, helped two teams to national titles (Encore of Boston for Theater on Ice in 2019 and the Ice Mates for synchronized skating in 2020), and competed in singles (regionals and sectionals at the intermediate level) and in dance (sectionals and nationals at the juvenile level). He went on to attend the 2020 High Performance National Development Camp for singles. He has been a member of The Skating Club of Boston since 2013 and has always seen the Club as the perfect venue for working out, making waffles, or just hanging out with his friends. Besides skating of all sorts, he also loves reading, nature, and science in general. He still hopes one day to raise the world’s largest colony of cohabitating ants. Or to develop wireless charging solutions for portable electronic devices. Or both.
Xinyu (Effie) Chen & Jack Liu
2020 U.S. Ice Dance Final Juvenile Silver Medalists
Xinyu (Effie) Chen and Jack Liu have been ice dancing together for one year. In their first competitive season, Effie and Jack competed at the Juvenile level and earned a silver medal in Ice Dance at the Eastern Sectionals and were the Silver Medalists at the National Ice Dance Finals in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Effie and Jack were excited to qualify for the National High Development Camp in North Carolina. They give thanks to Ron Kravette and Bryna Oi who coached them for the season.
Effie started training at The Skating Club of Boston five years ago. This year, she competed at the New England Regional Singles Challenge at the intermediate level. Effie is a freshman at the Dana Hall School. Off the ice, she enjoys reading, playing piano and being a part of her school’s debate team.
Patrick Blackwell
2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final Juvenile Bronze Medalist
Patrick, 11, started skating at the age of 2. He is the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge juvenile boys champion and participated in the 2020 U.S. National High-Performance Development Camp. It is his third year competing at the New England Regional Singles Challenge and his second year competing at the Eastern Sectional Singles Final. He was the 2019 New England Regional Figure Skating Championships juvenile boys’ pewter medalist. He has been a member of The Club for a year and really enjoys spending time in the work out room of the Club exploring the equipment and finding new favorite exercises. Patrick lives in Rhode Island and commutes to the Club 3-4 times a week. Besides skating, he spends as much time as possible snowboarding in the winter and surfing in the summer. He enjoys trick scootering and plays on a competitive soccer team.
Pinar Gurel
2020 Eastern Adult Sectional Figure Skating Championships Gold Medalist
Pinar Gurel grew up figure skating in North Carolina and took a break from competitive skating while pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to obtain her PhD in biochemistry from Dartmouth College in 2015. While at Dartmouth, Pinar returned to competitive skating as a member of the Dartmouth Figure Skating Club, and helped the team win the 2012 U.S. Intercollegiate Team Skating Championships. Currently, Pinar is working as a cancer researcher in the greater Boston area, and remains active in the figure skating community. She is a medalist in the Eastern Adult Sectional Figure Skating Championships and in the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships and is a member of the reigning U.S. Championship Theatre On Ice team, Forte of Boston. In her spare time, Pinar enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Lily Rauh
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Junior Pewter Medalist
Lily is the 2020 New England Regionals Singles Challenge junior pewter medalist and the 2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final fifth-place finisher and alternate to the 2020 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Skating since age 3, she is a seven-time New England Regional Singles Challenge competitor and a two-time Eastern Sectional Singles Final competitor. She is also a gold medalist for moves in the field and working on her gold level ice dance tests. Lily is a junior coach and loves to share her passion for the ice with younger skaters. She trains at the Club with Suna Murray, Simon Shnapir, Sergey Minaev, Matt Savoie and is choreographed by Adam Blake. She will attend Boston University studying Health Sciences in the Fall. When not skating, Lily enjoys pilates, baking, photography and travel. Lily has been a member of The Club for three years and most appreciates the camaraderie of the skaters and support of the coaches.
Brooke Barrett
2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Junior Competitor
Brooke currently competes at the junior level and is a 5-time Eastern Sectional competitor and a 4-time New England Regional Singles Challenge medalist. Her skating journey began at the age of 6 in Burlington, Vermont where she was coached by Martha Harding. She relocated two years ago to train under Vadim Naumov, Evgenia Shiskova, and Garrett Lucash at The Club. She is enrolled in Laurel Springs Online Academy as a junior, plans on attending college in Boston and continuing to compete collegiately. Besides spending most of her time on the ice, she extensively learned other forms of dance such as contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, and trained at Elan Academy of Classical Ballet for 7 years. In the past, she has been invited to perform at various shows across New England.
Damian Jarvis
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Novice Bronze Medalist
Damian is a sophomore at TEC Connections Academy, a Massachusetts virtual charter school. He is the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge novice men’s bronze medalist and 2019 New England Regional Figure Skating Championships intermediate men’s silver medalist. Damian competed at the 2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final and the 2019 Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships. He has four brothers and one sister. In his spare time, he enjoys biking. He is grateful to his longtime coach, Ronna Gladstone, one of his role models.
Ramsey Ghanem
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Novice Pewter Medalist
Ramsey is a junior at the International School of Boston, a bilingual, French/English school in Cambridge, MA. Ramsey competed in 2019 as a singles skater at the novice level and has medaled at New England Regional Figure Skating Championships multiple times during his skating career. Ramsey is a member of the Junior Activities Committee and a frequent Ice Chips performer. Ramsey has been skating and competing for 11 years and has been coached by Amanda Farkas and Simon Shnapir.
Chloe Zhang
2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Competitor
Chloe is an 8th grader at Weston Middle School. She has been skating for 8 years. Chloe placed fifth at the 2020 New England Singles Solo Challenge at the novice level and has competed at Eastern Sectional Singles twice. She was the 2018 New England Regional Champion in juvenile girls. When Chloe is not skating, she enjoys baking and hanging out with friends.
Emma L’Esperance & Mika Amdour
2020 Eastern Sectional Ice Dance Challenge Novice Competitors
Emma and Mika look forward to the 2020-2021 season, their fifth competitive season together and second at the novice level in ice dance. Under the tutelage of coach Dawn Ponte-Jarvis, the team was invited to compete at the 2019 North American Cup in Lake Placid and the 2019 U.S. Novice & Junior Challenge Skate in Utah where they earned a bronze medal. They teach Learn to Skate and Intro to Ice Dance classes together in addition to competition training. Off the ice, they are taking an SAT preparation course. This past summer they were able to hang out together in Budapest.
Caroline Santaguida
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Silver Medalist
Caroline is 14 years old from Brunswick, ME and a freshman with Maine Connections Academy. She is the 2020 New England Regionals Singles Challenge intermediate ladies silver medalist. Caroline earned four achievement awards: for highest points in skating skills, performance components, step sequence and clean double Axel and triple Salchow. Her placement earned her a spot to compete at the 2020 Eastern Sectionals Singles Final in Hyannis, MA where she placed 5th and was named an alternate for the National Development Camp in North Carolina. She is very proud to be a member of The Club. She would like to thank her coaches, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova for a spectacular season and sends some shout-outs to Garrett Lucash, Sean Marshinski, Mara Smith, the Maine Sectional Support Team and her family. She loves to draw, travel, and spend time with her brothers and friends.
Richelle Chang
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Intermediate Pewter Medalist
Richelle, 14, skates at the intermediate level. Richelle is the 2018 New England Regionals juvenile girls bronze medalist and the 2020 New England Regionals intermediate ladies pewter medalist. She is also a part of The Club’s novice Theatre On Ice team, Encore of Boston, who won the 2019 Nations Cup and 2019 U.S.Theatre On Ice Skating Championships. Richelle started skating when she was eight years old and has been a member of The Club since 2014, skating in Ice Chips every year since. When she is not skating, Richelle enjoys dancing, singing, hanging out with friends, playing piano, baking, watching musicals, and playing with her dogs, Lexi and Latte.
Luke P. Witkowski
2020 N.E. Regionals Singles Challenge Intermediate Pewter Medalist
Luke Witkowski, 14, was the 2020 New England Regional intermediate men’s pewter medalist, skating to his program titled “Puttin’ on the Ritz” choreographed by Adam Blake. This past year Luke was also a proud member of Encore of Boston, the Club’s novice Theatre on Ice team, which traveled to France winning the gold medal at the 2019 Nations Cup. Currently, Luke loves being a member of the Overture Unified team for Theatre On Ice. Luke has been skating as a member of The Club since he was 4 years old. He trains with coaches Simon Shnapir, Becky Stump, Amanda Farkas, Michael Bramante, Bryna Oi, Alex Ronzio, and Deidre Williams. This coming year, Luke looks forward to competing in ice dance with his partner, Ja Yi Kirwan. Luke loves hanging out with friends at The Club and misses being at his second home while we are all off the ice.
Jack Liu
2020 Eastern Singles Challenge Intermediate Competitor
Jack is an eighth grader at Dexter Southfield School. Originally from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he has been a member of The Club for five years. This year under the guidance of coaches Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, he competed at the intermediate men’s level and qualified for the 2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final, where he placed sixth. Jack, along with his partner, Xinyu Chen, were the silver medalists at the 2020 U.S. Ice Dance Final. He enjoys playing the guitar, traveling with his family and playing video games.
Danielle Gagnon
2019 National Showcase Bronze Medalist – Intermediate Interpretive
Danielle, 15, lives in Wakefield, MA and is an Honor Roll Student at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School. She became a member of The Club in 2013 and trains with Amanda Farkas and Simon Shnapir. Danielle competed at the intermediate level at 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge last fall and was a bronze medalist at the 2019 Showcase Nationals with her Interpretive program. Danielle is very active with The Club’sTheatre On Ice Program and is a member of Encore of Boston, the 2019 National Theatre On Ice Champions and 2019 Nations’ Cup Champions.
Lillian (Lilly) Valiquette
2020 N.E. Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Pewter Medalist
Lilly is 10 years old. After overcoming a serious injury, she won a gold medal in the qualifying round and a pewter medal in the final round of the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge, representing The Club for the first time, earning a trip to the 2020 Eastern Sectionals Singles Final. Last year, she placed 6th at the juvenile level in the 2019 New England Regional Figure Skating Championships. Lilly became a gold medalist at the age of 7 (Moves in the Field) and a double gold medalist at the age of 9 (Solo Free Dance). She is proud to represent The Club due to its rich history and reputation for skating excellence. When she is not skating, Lilly enjoys dancing, traveling, exploring new destinations, and spending time with friends. She is looking forward to competing next season at the intermediate level.
Brendan Man
2020 N.E. Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Silver Medalist
Brendan is a fifth grader at Angier Elementary School in Newton and has been a member of The Club since he was 5 years old. He is the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge juvenile silver medalist, which qualified him to compete in the 2020 Eastern Sectional Singles Final in Hyannis, MA. He also enjoys being a member of The Club’s novice Theatre On Ice team, Encore of Boston, which earned gold at both the 2019 Nation’s Cup in Epinal, France and the 2019 U.S. Theatre on Ice Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. When not on the ice, Brendan enjoys reading, gaming, hanging out with his friends and spending time with his family.
David Zhao
2020 N.E. Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Pewter Medalist
David is a 10-year-old fifth grader from Newton and has been a member of The Club since 2015. David loves figure skating and is coached by Garrett Lucash, Sean Marshinski, and Evgenia Shishkova. In David’s spare time, he enjoys playing cello, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.
Gabriella Rodriguez & Gabe Winawer
2020 Eastern Sectional Juvenile Ice Dance Challenge Pewter Medalists
Gabriella Rodriguez and her partner, Gabe Winawer, competed at the juvenile level in the 2020 Eastern Sectionals and finished as pewter medalists. The pair then took 9th at the U.S. Ice Dance Final. Their results qualified them for participation in the National Development Camp in North Carolina, where they trained with top skaters in all disciplines from across the country. They look forward to the upcoming season and leaving their mark at the Chesapeake Open in Maryland this June. They are coached by Michael Bramante, Bryna Oi and Dima Boundoukin.
Featured Highlights
Sophie Iannelli
2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge Novice Final Round Competitor
Sophie is a 15-year-old sophomore at Braintree High School. She competed at the New England Regional Singles Challenge at the novice level, earning the pewter medal in the qualifying round and seventh place overall. Sophie is also a member of Act 1 of Boston, the Club’s Theatre On Ice team, the current U.S. junior champions. Last year she competed at the Nations Cup in France on the gold medal novice team. Sophie has a twin brother and a black lab named Skipper. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, shopping, video editing and spending time with friends.
Abigail Newton
2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge Intermediate Final Round Competitor
Abigail is a freshman at North Quincy High School and competed at the intermediate level this year. Abigail medaled in the qualifying round at the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge, which qualified her for the final round. Abigail was a member of the Theatre On Ice novice team, Encore of Boston, which won the gold medal at both Nation’s Cup in France and 2019 Theatre On Ice U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Abigail is a member of the QNQ Girls Varsity hockey team. She enjoys traveling, teaching skating in The Skating Club of Boston’s Learn to Skate USA program, and spending time with family and friends.
Caroline Brown
2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge Intermediate Final Round Competitor
Caroline is a freshman at the Commonwealth School in Boston. She competed at the intermediate level and finished third in her qualifying round at the New England Regional Singles Challenge and placed top 15 overall. She has made the final round in the New England Regional Singles Challenge for the past 3 years. She has represented The Skating Club of Boston since 2019 and trains with coaches Vadim Naumov and Genia Shishkova. Before moving to Boston, she was a member of the Broadmoor Skating Club and trained at the World Arena Olympic Training Site in Colorado Springs, CO under head coach, Tom Zakrajsek.
Grace Kelsangmetog Cai
2020 N.E. Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Final Round Competitor
Grace is a Straight A student at Oak Hill Middle School. “Kelsangmetog” is Tibetan for ‘Lucky Flower.’ She won the 2019 Mathematical Olympiads Competition. Grace joined The Skating Club of Boston in 2013 and is a junior coach with the Therapeutic Skating program. She has skated on two of The Skating Club of Boston’s Theatre On Ice teams, Center Stage of Boston and Encore of Boston. She made the final round in the juvenile girls’ event at the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge this season. Grace plays piano, Chinese Dulcimer (Yangqin) and violin. She does volunteer work in the community and earned the 2019 President’s Service Volunteer Award Gold Medal.
Victoria Valiquette
2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Final Round Competitor
Victoria, 8, won a pewter medal in the qualifying round at the New England Regional Singles Challenge at the juvenile level and finished 14th overall. She is looking forward to competing at the juvenile level again next season and her goal is to advance to 2021 Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships. She is proud to call herself a member of The Skating Club of Boston. When Victoria is not skating, she enjoys dancing, volunteering time at animal shelters, pet rescues, traveling, and spending time with friends.
Ja Yi Kirwan
2020 N.E. Regional Singles Challenge Juvenile Final Round Competitor
Ja Yi is an 11-year-old, sixth-grader. She has been skating at The Skating Club of Boston since the age of 5. This past year, Ja Yi qualified for the final round of the juvenile girls event at the 2020 New England Regional Singles Challenge. She also skates on the Theatre On Ice team, Encore of Boston, which earned gold medals at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and international competition. Besides skating, Ja Yi enjoys reading, playing piano, making art and spending time with friends and family.
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