News
September 21, 2008
Oi and Rizo shine and learn at JGP Italy
While their classmates were just getting back into the swing of the school year, high school seniors Curran Oi (Wellesley High School) and Brittney Rizo (Braintree High School) headed off to Merano, Italy to compete in the Junior Grand Prix. For Oi and Rizo, both honor students, life is a perpetual juggling act that includes SATs, AP classes, college applications, and, oh yes, representing the US in international figure skating competition.
By the time Curran Oi arrived in Merano, thoughts of AP Calculus had given way to a single focus on his triple Axel. "Because I've moved up to senior this year I've worked hard to perfect my triple Axel," Oi explains. "To me, this is the mark of a senior man in figure skating."
Yet Oi, a veteran of the JGP circuit, knows it's not all about the jumps. "I'm also trying to get higher levels on my spins and footwork," he adds. "And, I'm trying to perform more to the music and the audience."
Mission accomplished for the 17-year-old skater. He took the ice for his "Phantom" program and never looked back. He not only nailed his opening triple Axel but received positive GOE marks for the difficult jump as well. He followed up with his signature triple flip-triple toe and received a full bonus point for his triple Lutz. His step sequences were both awarded level 3s and he received level 4 for two of his three spins. Oi's astounding technical score of 40.16 was the highest ever recorded for a short program at a JGP event.
Oi was a bit more circumspect about his freeskate. "It's a little distracting for me to be leading after the short," Oi confessed.
Oi planned a bold opening featuring two triple Axels with one in combination, but it was not to be. Still, he recovered to complete five triples, including a giant triple-double-double at the end of his dramatic "On the Waterfront" program. With solid spins and footwork, Oi placed third in the freeskate with a 98.19 score, but his total of 165.38 was enough for second place and the silver medal.
I learned a lot from this experience," Oi said. "It's allowed me to refine my strategy for going forward."
In the ladies event, Brittney Rizo made her debut at the JGP with her short program set to "The Giving." She gave a solid performance including a double Lutz, triple toe-triple toe, and a double Axel. Her spiral sequence earned a level 4. Her score of 45.10 put her in sixth place, but she was less than three points out of the medals.
The freeskate was an exercise in endurance as it began after 11pm and Rizo did not skate until after midnight. She was credited with two clean triples and received positive GOEs on all her spins and step sequences. Although her score of 72.09 put her in 8th place in the freeskate, once the numbers were crunched for the short and long combined Rizo sat in 4th place overall.
"I came to Italy with the goal of two good programs," said Rizo. "Although the judges were very aggressive about downgrading jumps, I was very excited to see that I had the highest component scores in both events."
"I learned a lot from this experience," Rizo explains. "Stamina is so important in these international events. The days are very long and the travel takes its toll. I'll be better prepared next time."
Both Oi and Rizo will have a chance to apply their lessons learned. Their 2nd and 4th place finishes, respectively, qualified them each for another JGP event. They will next appear at JGP Belarus in early October.
