2002 U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS: TOP DANCING TEAM U.S.' PERFECT PAIR.Byline: Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer Naomi Lang Naomi Lang (born December 18, 1978 in Arcata, California, U.S.) is an American ice dancer. With partner Peter Tchernyshev, she is the 1999-2003 U.S. national champion. Biography Lang is the first Native American female athlete to participate in the Olympic Winter Games. and Peter Tchernyshev Peter Tchernyshev (born February 6, 1971 in St. Petersburg, Russia) is an American figure skater who competed in ice dance with Naomi Lang. They joined forces on the ice in 1996 and have captured five gold medals at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Tchernyshev became a U.S. are the darlings of American ice dancing ice dancing, ice-skating competition in which couples are required to perform dance routines to music. The sport gained popularity in the 1930s and the first world championships were held in 1950. , but don't expect to see them on the Olympic medal stand next month. Lang and Tchernyshev, who train in Hackensack, N.J., are all but certain to become only the third ice dancing team to win four consecutive national titles, but the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. has not medaled in the sport since 1976, when Colleen O'Connor Colleen O'Connor (born December 17, 1951 in Chicago) was an American figure skater. She competed in ice dance with James Millns. The pair won the gold medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships three times and captured the bronze at the 1976 Winter Olympics. and Jim Millns won bronze at the first Games in which ice dancing was an official sport. Ice dancing is typically dominated by Russia and other Eastern European countries, where, as one American judge explained, ballroom dancing is a bigger part of the culture. --Future star: Granada Hills resident Beatrisa Liang Beatrisa "Bebe" Liang (梁靖賢 born March 31, 1988 in Tarzana, California), is an American figure skater. She trains at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California. Her coaches are Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi. has a chance to finish in the top five in today's championship ladies' long program. She finished seventh in Thursday's short program but was ranked fifth by one judge. --Tough ticket: Fewer than 1,000 tickets remained for today's championship ladies' final as of Friday night, and event organizers expect a sellout. Only seats in the upper bowl were on sale. --Donovan's day: Even though five skaters remained, Louann Donovan Louann Donovan (born September 26, 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA)) is an American former competitive figure skater who currently works as a skating director at the Icenter in Salem, New Hampshire. She was the 2002 U.S. had the look of a champion when she completed her junior ladies' long program. Her excitement held up as she won the overall competition. ``I like skating first (in a group),'' Donovan said. ``I sat with my coach in the hospitality room and watched the rest.'' --Quick success: In just their third competition together, Colette Appel and Lee Harris
Appel won the 1999 national title at the novice level with Adam Kaplan but didn't pair with Harris until the spring of 2000, when one of her coaches made the connection with Harris over the Internet. TODAY'S SCHEDULE At Staples Center --Noon-2:50 p.m.: Championship dance free dance --4-7:50 p.m.: Championship ladies long program TICKETS Championship dance $55/$45 lower bowl, $25 upper bowl; ladies' long program $45 upper bowl (lower bowl sold out). ON THE ICE Three spots on the Olympic team remain for three contenders, so it's either time for the long program or a game of musical chairs. Michelle Kwan's reservation in Salt Lake City already is secure, so the drama today will surround whether Sasha Cohen can duplicate her short-program performance, whether Angela Nikodinov can rally into the Olympics in memory of her coach and whether Sarah Hughes can catch a break from the judges. Before that, Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev will wrap up their fourth consecutive national title in the free dance. TV SCHEDULE TODAY --8-11 p.m., ABC Family Channel, ladies short program, pairs long program, ladies long program SUNDAY --3-6 p.m., ladies short program, pairs long program, ladies long program (tape) --4-6 p.m., Ch. 7, Skating Spectacular exhibition JAN. 20 --2-3 p.m., Ch. 7, dance long program (tape) CAPTION(S): 4 boxes Box: (1) TODAY'S SCHEDULE (see text) (2) TICKETS (see text) (3) ON THE ICE (see text) (4) TV SCHEDULE (see text) |
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