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Shelley Osterloh Reporting Utah is sending two skaters to the US Figure Skating Championships--and for the first time in many years--one of them is a male.
There are three levels of competition at figure skating nationals: novice, junior and seniors. You have to be a top four finisher in regional completion, then sectionals to qualify for nationals. And this year, two Salt Lake City skaters are headed to the biggest US completion.
Erin Reed competed three years ago as a junior skater at nationals, but this year, she qualified as a senior woman, the highest level. The University of Utah student says she is thrilled to be competing along side the biggest names in US Skating, people like the current world champion, Kimmie Meisner.
Erin Reed, Figure Skater: "I competed against her at the junior level it will be nice to compete against her again. And then people like Emily Hughes and Elisa Sisney great names in skating that are competing on TV and that are competing internationally for the US. so to be, have my name on the same ice as that group of skaters is really an accomplishment."
Erin's coach says she has what it takes to do well against the best.
Stephanee Grosscup, Erin's Coach: "She's at a great level. She has amazing performance ability and she also has fantastic jumps. So she has strength in all arenas."
And for the first time in about a decade, a Utah teenager will compete in the men's competition at nationals. Fifteen-year-old Wily Michael, a sophomore at East High, competes at the Novice level. His coach says it's important for him to learn to compete under pressure before huge crowds.
Stewart Sturgeon, Willy's Coach: "The biggest thing, you get to go there and work these triples under severe conditions, where you have 5-thousand or so people in the audience sometimes, even for the novice events, so he has the opportunity of experiencing that already."
As for Willy, he says, he just hopes to be able to do what he knows can.
Willy Michael, Figure Skater: "I just think to myself, that I'm just trying to skate my best and I not to be attached to any placements. As long as you skate your best, let the chips fall where they will, so you can't control that part."
The US Figure Skating Nationals are held in Spokane Washington. It's a week long competition that starts Sunday.
