Rookies of the Year

Now approaching its 28th iteration, the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships presented by Prevagen serves as an annual reunion for lifelong skaters and newcomers alike. Each year, the longtime attendees welcome a new crop of first-time competitors to the roster.
 

Athletes ranging from ages 21-83 are slated to compete in Salt Lake City.

Among the lineup of fresh talent includes Emelyn Haynie (age 21, Winter Club of Indianapolis) and Kostya Johnson (age 22, Kansas City FSC), who both won their respective championship events at the 2023 Midwestern Adult Sectional Figure Skating Championships in March.

Haynie has been skating for six years and placed first in championship adult gold women. Her performance resulted in the highest program components score in the field. Haynie was the youngest competitor in the group, and the second-place finisher was the oldest competitor, Cindy Crouse (age 65). Spectators were delighted as Haynie and Crouse joined one another on the podium, symbolizing the important fact that you can compete for a lifetime. In Salt Lake City, Haynie will be the youngest of the 487 adult athletes.
 
"My first Adult Sectionals was an absolute blast and I had a great time with everyone," shared Haynie, who works in insurance and is also a student at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). "I feel like I skated my best and had fun with friends and family. I got interested in adult skating because I heard wonderful things about the adult skating community and how supportive everyone is of one another."
 
Johnson placed first in the championship masters intermediate-novice men's event, and his performance resulted in the highest technical score for the field. Johnson started skating nine years ago and he was inspired by the local popularity of the sport in Kansas City, which has twice hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
 

"I watched the National Championships in downtown Kansas City at the Sprint Center," remembered Johnson, who works as a Learn to Skate USA instructor and is a student at Metropolitan Community College-Longview. "My mom encouraged me to see what it would be like to skate at a more advanced level."

When reflecting on their first sectionals experiences, Haynie and Johnson agree that it was memorable and fun. Both enjoyed the unique experience of receiving tossies for the first time.

"I was congratulated by all of the guys in my warmup group. I got a basket load of candy and other great things," Johnson shared.
"I think my favorite tossie was a big plush Pikachu," Haynie remarked.

Looking toward the 2023 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships, both skaters have specific goals in mind.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to meet people," Johnson said. "I want to watch other skaters and make my program just as good as theirs. My goals are to skate a clean program and have good presentation for the judges and audience while I'm performing."

Haynie looks forward to seeing "all of the different and unique programs that everyone is bringing to Salt Lake City," and she is slated to compete in the maximum total of four events.
 
"My goals are skating clean and having fun," she said. "I really want to showcase my love of skating to everyone!"
 
Catch Haynie and Johnson at the 2023 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships presented by Prevagen April 12-15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. To follow all the action, visit the event's competition central.