When Bradie Tennell won her first international title at the Autumn Classic International in Oakville, Ontario last week, defeating two-time World champion Evgenia Medvedeva in the bargain, she took her victory over the Russian star in stride.
"I think it went really well," she said. "It's going to definitely help my confidence, but I really just focus on myself, the goals I have in mind to do out there. I can't control anything else, so I focus on what I can control and take it from there."
The U.S. champion showed laser-like focus in Oakville, performing near-clean outings of both her short program, set to Natacha Atlas and Hi-Finesse's intense and moody "Rebirth," from the 2014 film
Lucy; and a dramatic and stylish free skate to
Romeo and Juliet, featuring music from Prokofiev.
Notably, she landed a difficult new combination – triple Lutz, triple loop – in both programs, although the loop was judged under rotated in her free. Her 206.41 total put her 1.52 points ahead of Medvedeva. Mae Berenice Meite of France won bronze.
"I have my good days and bad, but overall, this was more or less how I practice (at home)," the 20-year-old skater said.
"It's a very good start for her this season," Denise Myers, Tennell's longtime coach in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, said. "I don't think she is thinking of it as beating a World champion. She is just thinking about what she has to do, not thinking about anybody else."
At Champs Camp in August, Tennell spoke of wanting to build on her technical ability with a more open, elegant style on the ice, saying, "I'm more than what I was last year."
Myers thinks her performances in Oakville are a strong start.
"The programs have a lot of feeling and emotion, and showed a more mature side to Bradie," Myers added. "That is what we are striving for this year."
Competing in her second ISU Challenger Series event of the season, Starr Andrews performed technically challenging and entertaining programs to earn 159.63 points and place seventh in the strong international field.
The 17-year-old, who trains in the Los Angeles area under Derrick Delmore, landed triple Lutzes and triple-triple combinations in both the short program and free skate, although several of her jumps were judged underrotated. A triple Axel attempt in her free was downgraded by the technical panel.
"I'm excited to do it," Andrews said. "I have been working on it for a while, and I just have to keep working on it."
"We maxed out on the jumps in the program," Delmore said. "I'd rather her go for the triple Axel, especially this time of year. It's worth it, if she can keep the flow of the program going while she gets mileage on the jump."
Both Tennell and Andrews will compete at Skate America in Everett, Washington, Oct. 19-21.
Denney, Frazier win bronze in pairs event
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier, 2017 U.S. champions, earned a medal in Oakville, but they didn't finish the event the way they would have liked.
The skaters showed impressive elements in their short program, choreographed by Charlie White to David Cooke's version of "Billie Jean," including a big triple twist, side-by-side triple Salchows and a strong throw triple loop. Their free skate, though, had three falls, including miscues on the triple Salchows and both triple throws. Still, they placed third with 164.43 points.
Denney and Frazier's training partners in Florida, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France, won gold with 210.21 points, while Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro took silver with 176.32.
"I think they felt the stress of wanting to prove something," said Silvia Fontana, who coaches Denney and Frazier with her husband, John Zimmerman. "They have worked really, really hard, not only on elements but everything in between, unison and skating skills...The biggest challenge is to keep them confident. We know they are progressing really well but they need to believe it themselves."
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, who train in the Los Angeles area under Todd Sand and Jenni Meno, placed fourth in their international debut.Â
Denney and Frazier are entered in Skate Canada, Oct. 25-28.
Mixed results for Brown
Jason Brown's season debut yielded mixed results. The 2015 U.S. champion had a clean and polished performance of his short program, choreographed by Rohene Ward to Two Feet's bluesy "Love is a B****," including a fine triple Axel. But he had jump trouble in his free skate to a Simon and Garfunkel medley, popping an intended quadruple Salchow into a double, reducing a triple Axel to a single and faltering on a few other jumps.
While Brown's steps, spins and highlight moves – including slides, leaps and a split jump – were stellar, the mistakes limited his score to fifth in the free. He placed fourth overall with 233.23 points. It did not reflect his earlier practice at the event, where a solid run-through gained cheers from the crowd.
The missed jumps were not too surprising. Brown moved his training site from Colorado Springs to Toronto this summer, and his new coaching team – headed by Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson – has been retuning his jump technique.
"I wanted a fresh start, I wanted people to look at me with completely fresh eyes," Brown, 23, said. "I wanted to completely start from scratch...We're starting from the ground up. Each day, I'm learning something new. Each day, they are helping me work through something, whether that be a mental thing, physically getting a jump or the pacing of a program."
Brown's training partner in Toronto, two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, landed two solid quadruple jumps and a triple Axel combination in his winning short program, as well as two quads in his free skate, to win the event with 263.65 points. But another student of Orser and Wilson, 16-year-old Junhwan Cha of Korea, defeated Hanyu in the free skate en route to the silver medal with 259.78 points. Canada's Roman Sadovsky was third.
Brown is next slated to compete at Skate Canada.
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