News
October 29, 2007
Senior international debut for Stephen Carriere at Skate America
It was a great weekend to be an elite athlete from Boston as the Patriots added to their winning streak, the Red Sox clinched the World Series, and Stephen Carriere competed in his first international competition as a senior skater. Selected for Skate America, held this year in Reading, Pennsylvania, 18-year old Stephen Carriere, the reigning Junior World Champion, was among skating's best as he set out to make his presence felt on the senior world stage.
For the short program, a visibly relaxed Carriere wowed the crowd with a stunning performance to an elegant rendition of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, performed by guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela. The beautifully choreographed program opened with a fluid display of circular footwork followed by a complete triple Axel, triple flip-double toe and a triple Lutz. Nancy Kerrigan, commenting for IceNetwork, commended the choreography and added, "Boy, he has some fast spins!" Though his personal best score of 66.85 landed him in sixth place in a crowded field, he was less than a point behind Evan Lysacek, who stood in second after the short program.
Stephen's attention to detail was even more evident in the long program, set to a medley of tunes out of old Hollywood. He maintained his leading man character while landing seven triples, including a triple Axel, triple toe-double toe-double toe, triple flip, triple Axel-double toe sequence, triple Lutz, triple loop, and triple Salchow. His inventive spins, featuring change-foot jumps and interesting positions were among the fastest of the night. He was rewarded for his efforts with a score of 129.48, placing fourth in the freeskate and bringing his total to 196.33-good enough for fourth place overall and a finish just off the podium.
"It sure is great to see a local kid doing so well at an international competition," said Nancy Kerrigan. SCOB members were thrilled to discover that Stephen looks as good on TV as he does in person.
