Juvenile Champs Want Intermediate Gold

[gsk8]

The 2004 U.S. juvenile ice dance champions, Ilana Morse and Jackson Raney, moved up to intermediates this year, hoping to take another gold.

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[Sylvia]

Thanks for the article! I've enjoyed watching this very charismatic young dance team in a couple of exhibitions over the past two years and wish them well this season.

Here's a bit of "sibling skater trivia" -- Jackson has an older brother, Lenny, who competes at the junior level this season and qualified for 2004 US Nationals in novice men. Here's an interview with him before last year's Nationals (in which Lenny placed 11th overall):
http://www.unseenskaters.com/articles/20032004/20031214_lenny.html

 

[Mathman]

Thanks, Gsk8 and Barry M.

What a darling picture.

Sylvia, are you sure that Lenny Raney is only 16? He gave such a mature interview! I see that he is already taking college classes.

Unseen Skaters (Sylvia): "What is your current schooling arrangement?"

Lenny Raney: "I am enrolled part-time in SUNY [State University of New York] Rockland's early admissions program. That's a program in which seniors in high school get both college freshman and high school senior credits for participating in college courses. I plan on continuing at SUNY Rockland until I get a business degree, and then hopefully go to graduate school at NYU, Columbia, or Fordham."

Then again, here's what he says about his little brother

Unseen Skaters: "Would you like to summarize the skating accomplishments of your twelve-year-old brother, Jackson?"

Raney: "Yeah, he's just this weird little kid who lives in the same house as me that recently won Junior Nationals in Juvenile Dance!"

And he's not afraid to speak his mind. The current crop of U.S. ladies (i.e, Sasha Cohen and Jenny Kirk -- we won't even mention Michelle Kwan) evidently are over the hill -- here come Louanne Donovan, Kimmie Meisner, Brianna Perry and Jessica Houston!

Mathman

 

[Sylvia]

Mathman, I have a feeling that some the "favorite skaters" that Lenny listed in his interview last year he happens to know personally as well. He was 16 when he did that interview - he turned 17 this past May. And, yes, he comes across as a mature and articulate young man.

 

[Ptichka]

I like this quote from Ilana: "I want to compete as long as I can. I want to skate forever." It's cute coming from a 14 year old