ALL DETROIT ALL THE TIME
ADAM RIPPON IS SHARING AN APARTMENT WITH ALISSA CZISNY
... AND OTHER NEWS FROM THE DSC
Adam Rippon part of the movement at Detroit Skating Club
Facility is spot for top talent
Jun 29, 2011
BY JO-ANN BARNAS
In a movement not seen since the era of Todd Eldredge and Tara Lipinski more than a decade ago, the Detroit Skating Club has become a destination for the nation's top freestyle singles skaters once again.
The latest acclaimed athlete to join forces with the husband-wife coaching team of Jason Dungjen and Yuka Sato: two-time men's junior world champion Adam Rippon, who's in his second week of training at the Bloomfield Hills club after leaving his former base in Toronto.
Since becoming a full-time coaching team two years ago when Jeremy Abbott -- the 2009 and 2010 U.S. men's champion -- relocated to the club, Sato and Dungjen's reputation continues to rise as fast as their expanding stable of skaters.
Last season under Dungjen and Sato, Alissa Czisny -- in her first season with the new coaches -- reformed her skating, rebounding after taking 10th at the 2010 nationals to win her second U.S. title and place fifth at the world championships in April in Moscow.
Although they share coaching duties, Sato is Abbott's primary coach, while Dungjen is in charge of Czisny and Rippon.
The coaches also oversee skaters William Brewster, Alexe Gilles and Becky Bereswill. Three-time ladies Italian champion Valentina Marchei will join the group this weekend.
Rippon isn't the only world-level skater to relocate to the Detroit SC recently; European ice dance champions Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France, who finished fourth, behind the Arctic FSC's medal sweep at worlds, are now training with ice dance coaches Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova.
Jo-Ann Barnas of the Free Press caught up with Rippon after practice Tuesday to chat about his new digs. (Their conversation didn't include Abbott's newest hairstyle -- a white-dyed Mohawk). Some excerpts:
On why he picked the Detroit SC: "Within the first few minutes of being here, just the atmosphere and the other people training here, I knew I wanted to try to make it work. I went to LA for a little bit, and skated with Frank Carroll. I was in Colorado Springs for a bit, to see what it was like training there. When I came here, I originally didn't think about it because of Jeremy. I didn't even fathom that it would work. But when I talked with Yuka and Jason, and Jeremy, we all knew it was going to be a really good thing. It clicked right away."
On living temporarily with Czisny until he moves into his apartment: "If you could think of the ideal athlete -- what they're supposed to do -- if you want to see it in reality, you have to go live with Alissa. She goes to bed on time, drinks lots of water, stretches and exercises all the time. She's an incredible role model and her comeback story is incredible as well."
On having Dungjen as his primary coach: "I wasn't expecting him to be so fine-tuned with his technique, and it works really well for me. I knew I needed to continue to fix and develop, and I think in the past it was kind of, like, 'Well, just do it.' With Jason, he's not worried about taking things back and starting over, and fixing them so I don't have any problems. He hasn't suffocated me with new ideas, which has been great as well."
On adding a quadruple lutz this season: "I think I'm going to be good for the season to try it. I just feel really good over my feet, and I feel the rotation really well."
----------
Additionally, there is a rather important little sidebar blurb:
As first reported in the Free Press last week, ice dancers Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates have ended their ice dance partnership, U.S. Figure Skating announced Tuesday.
Samuelson and Bates, two-time U.S. medalists and 2010 Olympians, didn’t compete last season because Bates was recovering from surgery on a severed Achilles tendon. The team moved to the Arctic Figure Skating Club in April 2010 after spending the previous 10 years at the Ann Arbor FSC.
Samuelson and Bates are continuing in ice dance. Bates’ search for a new partner is over: He’ll be teaming up with Madison Chock, a U.S. bronze medalist with former partner Greg Zuerlein (who has retired from competitive skating).
Jo-Ann Barnas
(source - Detroit Free Press)
--------------------
BLINK AND YOU MISSED IT:
... AND OTHER NEWS FROM THE DSC
Adam Rippon part of the movement at Detroit Skating Club
Facility is spot for top talent
Jun 29, 2011
BY JO-ANN BARNAS
In a movement not seen since the era of Todd Eldredge and Tara Lipinski more than a decade ago, the Detroit Skating Club has become a destination for the nation's top freestyle singles skaters once again.
The latest acclaimed athlete to join forces with the husband-wife coaching team of Jason Dungjen and Yuka Sato: two-time men's junior world champion Adam Rippon, who's in his second week of training at the Bloomfield Hills club after leaving his former base in Toronto.
Since becoming a full-time coaching team two years ago when Jeremy Abbott -- the 2009 and 2010 U.S. men's champion -- relocated to the club, Sato and Dungjen's reputation continues to rise as fast as their expanding stable of skaters.
Last season under Dungjen and Sato, Alissa Czisny -- in her first season with the new coaches -- reformed her skating, rebounding after taking 10th at the 2010 nationals to win her second U.S. title and place fifth at the world championships in April in Moscow.
Although they share coaching duties, Sato is Abbott's primary coach, while Dungjen is in charge of Czisny and Rippon.
The coaches also oversee skaters William Brewster, Alexe Gilles and Becky Bereswill. Three-time ladies Italian champion Valentina Marchei will join the group this weekend.
Rippon isn't the only world-level skater to relocate to the Detroit SC recently; European ice dance champions Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France, who finished fourth, behind the Arctic FSC's medal sweep at worlds, are now training with ice dance coaches Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova.
Jo-Ann Barnas of the Free Press caught up with Rippon after practice Tuesday to chat about his new digs. (Their conversation didn't include Abbott's newest hairstyle -- a white-dyed Mohawk). Some excerpts:
On why he picked the Detroit SC: "Within the first few minutes of being here, just the atmosphere and the other people training here, I knew I wanted to try to make it work. I went to LA for a little bit, and skated with Frank Carroll. I was in Colorado Springs for a bit, to see what it was like training there. When I came here, I originally didn't think about it because of Jeremy. I didn't even fathom that it would work. But when I talked with Yuka and Jason, and Jeremy, we all knew it was going to be a really good thing. It clicked right away."
On living temporarily with Czisny until he moves into his apartment: "If you could think of the ideal athlete -- what they're supposed to do -- if you want to see it in reality, you have to go live with Alissa. She goes to bed on time, drinks lots of water, stretches and exercises all the time. She's an incredible role model and her comeback story is incredible as well."
On having Dungjen as his primary coach: "I wasn't expecting him to be so fine-tuned with his technique, and it works really well for me. I knew I needed to continue to fix and develop, and I think in the past it was kind of, like, 'Well, just do it.' With Jason, he's not worried about taking things back and starting over, and fixing them so I don't have any problems. He hasn't suffocated me with new ideas, which has been great as well."
On adding a quadruple lutz this season: "I think I'm going to be good for the season to try it. I just feel really good over my feet, and I feel the rotation really well."
----------
Additionally, there is a rather important little sidebar blurb:
As first reported in the Free Press last week, ice dancers Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates have ended their ice dance partnership, U.S. Figure Skating announced Tuesday.
Samuelson and Bates, two-time U.S. medalists and 2010 Olympians, didn’t compete last season because Bates was recovering from surgery on a severed Achilles tendon. The team moved to the Arctic Figure Skating Club in April 2010 after spending the previous 10 years at the Ann Arbor FSC.
Samuelson and Bates are continuing in ice dance. Bates’ search for a new partner is over: He’ll be teaming up with Madison Chock, a U.S. bronze medalist with former partner Greg Zuerlein (who has retired from competitive skating).
Jo-Ann Barnas
(source - Detroit Free Press)
--------------------
BLINK AND YOU MISSED IT:
- Adam considered Frank Carroll as a potential coach.
- Valentina Marchei is joining the Detroit gang. The article is unclear on whether or not this is a permanent move. ETA: Sounds like this is indeed a permanent coaching change on her part.
- Evan Bates and Madison Chock have paired up as a new ice dance team.