The Rush of Competition: Past Competitors Recall U.S. Championships Moments

For many skaters, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were the most stressful, wonderful and exciting events of their careers. The pressure was on and it felt like the whole world was watching.
 
Early in skaters' careers, the domestic event would be the first time they performed in a large arena, their first time on television and, of course, the crucial gateway to competing on the World and Olympic level.
 
The U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone checked in with several past medalists and asked them to share the emotions and events they experienced at that crucial time in their lives.
 
Danielle Hartsell Minnis, 1999 U.S. pairs champion, two-time U.S. pairs bronze medalist
Needless to say, Michigan native Danielle Hartsell Minnis was incredibly excited that the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships would be held in Detroit, the city in which she and her brother/pairs partner Steve Hartsell trained. They were entered in the junior pairs division and shortly before their short program chaos broke loose.
 
"We were at Joe Louis Arena. I was getting my hair and makeup done," Hartsell Minnis said. "My brother was actually in the physical therapy room getting something taped. He was sitting next to Tonya Harding. There's a tunnel that leads from Joe Louis Arena to Cobo Arena, where the senior ladies were practicing and where the junior pairs short program was being held after that practice."
 
"When I got over to Cobo Arena, they wouldn't let us go back to the locker room," she continued. "They put us in a holding space backstage and told us we had to wait. As some of the other girls got there, we were all looking at each other. We didn't know what was going on. Then, we started to hear whispers. They finally sent somebody over and escorted us to the locker room."
 
The short program was delayed, but eventually took place. Hartsell Minnis did her best to shut out distractions. She and Steve skated fairly well, ultimately winning the pewter medal. The following year, they won the junior title.
 
Hartsell Minnis and her brother certainly had some great highs and disappointing lows in their years competing at the U.S. Championships. Looking back, she remembers the audiences and the excitement of it all.  
 
"I can't think of any other event that feels like that," she said. "The anticipation of that being kind of like the biggest moment in the year. Knowing it was going to be in a large building that was going to have a lot of people there, good energy and a lot of nervous energy. That's one of things I miss about competing."
 
"We were fortunate enough to have a couple of those moments where we did have standing ovations and it was a really incredible feeling," she added. "You work so hard, you sacrifice a lot and you put everything you have into training and trying to successfully have that one moment. There aren't that many of them, so the ones that you do get you definitely treasure."
 
Her memories of the 2001 U.S. Championships, which was a comeback for Hartsell Minnis who had fractured her kneecap the year before, are more vivid than 1999, the year they won the title. Additionally, in 2001 Steve had hit his head during a practice session and needed stitches.
 
"To be able to go out there, skate a great performance, know the audience appreciated everything we had been through and see them on their feet for us was probably one of the most satisfying moments in our career," she said.
 
The Hartsells trained at the Detroit Skating Club, which was a hub of activity in all disciplines.
 
"Everybody pushed each other to be better, but at the same time, we all supported one another and we were like family," Hartsell Minnis said. "A lot of those people that I trained with are still dear friends of mine to this day and like family to me."
 
"The week before nationals was always kind of tough because everybody's nerves were at the peak," she continued. "Once you got to the competition, you kind of settled into it, but that anticipation was always hard."
 
Now living in North Carolina with her husband and two children, Hartsell Minnis is a national judge and was in Detroit for the 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships as an alternate. The chair of athlete development, pairs, she will also be working with the Future U program for juvenile and intermediate competitors.
 
"Definitely looking forward to seeing Nathan Chen live and in person," Hartsell Minnis said before heading to Detroit. "On a personal level, I'm excited to see my friends, be able to reminisce and enjoy each other's company."
 
Angela Nikodinov, five-time U.S. ladies medalist (1997, 1999-2002)
Angela Nikodinov made her national debut at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit in the junior ladies division.
 
"It was obviously an accomplishment because I had not succeeded in juvenile, intermediate and novice, which was a disappointment, so to finally make it in junior felt like going to the Olympics at that point," Nikodinov said. "Now teaching kids who may not make it, I say, 'If you want to have longevity in skating, you have to keep pushing and pacing yourself.'"
 
Beyond the craziness that surrounded the 1994 U.S. Championships, on a personal level, Nikodinov recalled, "Everything looked so big. Even the hotel was big. I remember seeing all these skaters that obviously I had been seeing on TV, and being around them, even if it's in the elevator or the bus. I couldn't tell you how my performance was, but I remember the whole experience of everything and then coming home and wanting to work harder because I wanted to make it to nationals again."
 
She has a variety of different emotions about her decade of trips to the U.S. Championships. There are highs, lows, mediums and family tragedy. Her fondest was 2001 in Boston where she placed third with elegant, lyrical programs. She said her free skate was "one of my best performances."
 
Today, Nikodinov is the skating school director at the Skating Edge Ice Arena in Harbor City, California. At last year's U.S. Championships, she and husband/fellow coach Ivan Dinev coached the novice men's and ladies champions.
 
"That was a special moment," said Nikodinov, who has found herself standing at the boards next to her former competitors. "It's fun to be in the mix of all of that."
 
Sheryl Franks, four-time U.S. pairs bronze medalist (1977-80) 
"Watching Janet Lynn, John Misha Petkevich and JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley was everything," Sheryl Franks, who skated with Michael Botticelli, said. "They were my inspirations at my first nationals when I was 11 years old (in junior pairs)."
 
As a senior competitor, Franks said the 1979 U.S. Championships were memorable. Not only did she and Botticelli skate an outstanding short program, but they again qualified for the World Figure Skating Championships. Qualifying for the Olympic Team in 1980 was also a highlight.
 
What made the U.S. Championships so special for Franks were "friendships." "All the people I got to meet who are still my friends today," said Franks, now a coach and choreographer. "Linda Fratianne, Kitty Carruthers and Tracy Prussack are still some of my best friends. The bonding that we had being in the national ranking of skaters was one of the highlights of my life."
 
This was before the internet, email and social media, so the U.S. Championships was a special gathering. The high competitive atmosphere, spending time as friends afterwards, being inspired by everyone's programs and watching the champions helped shape Franks' love of the sport. Seeing how the top skaters prepared was influential.
 
Not everything was rosy. Franks dealt with some serious competition nerves—throwing up before almost every program. "Every nationals, Michael was holding my hair over the trash can," Franks said. "Then I'd say, 'It's going to be a good performance.'"
 
Jennifer Don, 2001 U.S. novice ladies bronze medalist, 2002 U.S. junior ladies silver medalist
Jennifer Don made the podium in senior pairs, finishing fourth with Jonathon Hunt at the 2004 U.S. Championships. But, it's the standing ovation she received in the senior ladies free skate that year which remains her most memorable U.S. Championships moment.
 
"It's funny the memories that stay with you," said Don. "You start to forget what jumps you landed and what jumps you fell on.
 
"So many years removed, all that stuff fades away and you just remember the feelings you had from programs. One of my best memories ever is getting a standing ovation at nationals in singles because I never thought something like that would happen."
 
Don, who finished eighth, remembers her final combination spin and being shocked that she had skated a clean program. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw people standing up. Skating both ladies and pairs felt like a marathon where maintaining focus was paramount to success.
 
She described the U.S. Championships as feeling like the hub of the skating universe. At her very first nationals, a judge took Don aside and encouraged her take in all the details.
 
"There's nothing like experiencing your first nationals," said Don, a commercial actress, skating coach and occasional professional skater who recently performed in the Showtime series Kidding. "The energy, the enthusiasm and the love for skating comes through."
 
Tiffany Stiegler Stahl, 1995 U.S. novice pairs champion, 1997 U.S. junior pairs champion, two-time U.S. pairs pewter medalist (1998, 99), 2005 U.S. pewter ice dance medalist
For Tiffany Stiegler Stahl, going to the U.S. Championships was a family affair. Stiegler Stahl skated pairs with older brother Johnnie Stiegler. Older sister Stephanie was also a pairs skater, winning a junior title and twice finishing third at the senior level. The year she and Johnnie won junior gold, Stephanie finished third in senior competition and made the World Team.
 
"Nationals was actually the highlight of all my competitive experience—even Junior Grand Prix, Senior Grand Prix, Junior Worlds," Stiegler Stahl said. "All those competitions, there's nothing that ever compared to nationals. There was so much excitement. The arenas were always full. It was truly one of the highlights of my life."
 
"The way that you get on the ice and you're skating down the ice and hear all the photographers' cameras clicking as you're going into your triple toe," she added. "The moment is frozen in time when you're at nationals. Even when you don't compete well, it's still such a great experience."
 
Stiegler Stahl is currently on maternity leave from coaching, having given birth to second daughter Mia four months ago. Daughter Skyla is three and already skating. Memories of the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles are so strong that whenever she attends an event at Staples Center, she's transported back in time.
 
When she and Johnnie first made it to the U.S. Championships, they were so young she didn't feel the pressure. As time went on, her attitude became more serious. She gets emotional remembering the times she and Johnnie skated together. Giving him a hug at the end of each program was a highlight regardless of how they skated.
 
"It was either, 'It's okay' or 'I can't believe we just did that,'" Stiegler Stahl said. "That definitely was the coolest thing for me."