The Dartmouth figure skating team placed fourth in its fourth consecutive trip to Collegiate Nationals at the University of Denver on Mar. 29-30, 2003. The team was preceded by Cornell University, which took first place, University of Delaware, which took second and University of Ohio at Miami, which took third.
The competition between the top four teams was neck and neck the entire weekend and the competition was tough. Despite this and the altitude difference, the team had some incredible performances with team members flying in from Europe and Canada to compete for Dartmouth.
Co-Captain Ariel Stern-Markovitz '05 flew in from a Language Study Abroad in Berlin, Germany and had a gold medal sweep placing first in junior short and long programs as well as pre-intermediate B dance.
Victoria Lee '05 also skated marvelously taking gold in pre-intermediate C long and silver in pre-intermediate C compulsory moves. Taylor Grant '06 skated a flawless senior long program to place third.
She and Kelly Morr '05 also scooped up the medals for pre-intermediate A dance placing first and second respectively with sultry rhythm blues and vivacious canasta tangos.
Co-Captain Paola Peacock-Villada '03, who placed fourth in intermediate short, was a founding member of the Dartmouth figure skating team and the only member to attend all four trips to nationals in its history.
"I am very proud of how our team performed," she said in reflection of the competition. "We held the lead for quite some time. Our great effort in Denver was a fantastic way to end my last season. We have room to grow and I know the team can improve even more in the next few years."
Coach Loren McGean '92, daughter of the other team coach -- former World Champion and Secretary of the College J. Michael McGean '49 -- was amazed at how the team was able to pull together for nationals despite foreign study programs.
"Several months ago we decided that if the skaters earned their way to nationals, we'd find a way to get them there. It was no small feat. [Stern-Markovitz] won three first place medals and earned 15 points for the Dartmouth team. Another skater, Tricia Shalka '05, came from Edmonton, Canada on her way to foreign study in France. She earned nine points for the team," said McGean.
Lydia Gokey '06 took third in senior dance and second in pre-intermediate B compulsory moves. Shalka placed fourth in senior dance and second in pre-intermediate A compulsory moves.
Other notable performances include Rebecca Bruccoleri '05, fourth in novice short program, Katie Collins '06, fourth in gold dance, Morr, fifth in intermediate short program, Liz Colangelo (biology graduate student), fifth in pre-intermediate C compulsory moves and Meg Thering '05, fifth in pre-intermediate B long program.
As far as team events, Stern-Markovitz, Collins and Grant took fifth place in the high team while Bruccoleri, Peacock-Villada and Morr took third in the intermediate team and Colangelo, Gokey and Lee took third place in low team.
The team looks forward to next year for another exciting season and continued growth and improvement. Most of all, the skaters thank their wonderful coaches who have donated their time not only to their improvement in skating but to all aspects of their Dartmouth lives and their alumni sponsor, Stetson Whitcher '40, their academic advisor, Dean Robert Binswanger, Rhonda Martin and Steve Erickson from the physical education department, and Burt and Mary Leonard who have driven us to their eastern meets.
Coach Mike McGean summed up the year and the future when he said, "This team is surely to be congratulated. Its success has helped attract some wonderfully talented skaters to the Class of 2007. The scholarship of these new team members is amazing, and they are gifted athletes with truly impressive personal qualifications. So we are slowly building more strength from strength."
Rebecca Bruccoleri '05 is a member of the Dartmouth figure skating team.
