To move up to the senior level or to stay at the junior level? This is a question that plagues all skaters at one time or another, and 18-year-old U.S. junior champion
Ryan Dunk is no exception.
"It is kind of funny because by a certain date you have to put in qualifying info and I wasn't sure if I would be senior or junior (last season)," said Dunk. "I actually wanted to compete senior, but everyone around me thought I should be junior one more year. Since it was my third year skating junior level at U.S. Championships, I was really determined to try to win."
Still, it was not all smooth sailing. Dunk had what he describes as a "rough skate" at the 2019 Eastern Sectional Championships, placing second. To go from a less than ideal performance to an amazing skate and gold medal took him by surprise.
"I did not even win at Sectional Championships, so it was kind of a surprise (to win the U.S. junior title). But the main thing was that I skated how I did in practice, I think that was what I was most excited about," said Dunk. "I actually hadn't won a competition since that summer, I forgot what that was like…it was really fun."
Not bad for a boy who wore rental skates for his first year of skating. Indeed, Dunk started as many do, taking Learn to Skate group classes in a rink in Reistertown, Maryland, a short distance away from his hometown of White Hall. Active in other sports including soccer, tennis and lacrosse, at age nine or ten Dunk had to choose between soccer and skating.
"I had to become really competitive at soccer or just go back to not-as-competitive, so I thought I might as well just scrap soccer and focus on skating," explained Dunk. "I think in general I'm more of an individual sports person."
As they say, the rest is history. Dunk dedicated himself to figure skating full-time, and in July 2018, the 2017 U.S. junior bronze medalist moved to the Boston area to train with coaches Mark Mitchell and  Peter Johansson.
"I moved to new coaches and a new rink away from my family so it was a big change, but I think it's really paying off and I'm really excited that my parents have allowed me to move to pursue skating at an even higher level."
Dunk felt good about last season; in addition to winning the junior title, he placed in the top 10 in both Junior Grand Prix assignments in Slovakia and Armenia, including an ISU personal best total score of 195.30 at JGP Armenia. After U.S. Championships, Dunk finished his season admirably, placing fifth as a senior competitor at the 2019 Challenge Cup, where he also earned a personal best score of 128.59 in the free skate.
In addition to his new coaching team and training site, Dunk attributes last season's success to a different approach in practice and feels his performances were more consistent overall.
"I think overall I really improved in a lot of ways. Last year was a big step forward in terms of programs and consistency," said Dunk. "I skated more programs in practice overall, and gave 100% effort during each run-through."
 This year, he hopes to continue the great progress he has been making by hopefully competing in his first U.S. Championships as a senior-level skater, performing well at his JGP events and qualifying for the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2020.
Having competed at the 2019 Lake Placid Summer Figure Skating Championships, he has returned for the first of his JGP assignments this week in Lake Placid, New York.
"I hate to be cliché, but I really want to skate my best. Last year, I would skate a bad short program and a good free skate, then a good short program and a bad free skate, so I want to do a good short program and free skate at the same event," explained Dunk. "My jumps have really improved, so I really (want to) have clean landings and positive grade of execution in all my elements."
Skating his short program to "The Blower's Daughter" by Chris Mann and Christina Aguilera, and his free skate to "Lo Si Caro" by Andrea Bocelli, Dunk has worked hard with choreographer Jaime Eisley to establish stories for each performance and project those stories well.
 "I feel like these programs are much more sophisticated and artistic than the programs last year, so I really want that to come across in Lake Placid."
Don't miss Dunk's season debut tomorrow! The men's short program kicks off at 3 p.m. ET at Herb Brooks Arena. Tickets are on sale at the arena box office and fans can watch live on the
ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube page.
Â
