Mroz shoots for quad loop
Last season, 2009 U.S. silver medalist Brandon Mroz, who already owned a quad toe, became the first skater ever to land a quad Lutz in competition at the 2011 Colorado Springs Invitational (Watch it here). Later that fall, he landed it at the NHK Trophy.
Now, the 21-year-old hopes to add quad loop to his résumé.
"[The loop] feels so natural, I've made it a priority," he said. "I'm doing it in the ["Mack the Knife"] short here, and then, depending on how it goes, I'll do [quad] Lutz in the free.
"I love learning new tricks; it gets my adrenaline flowing. I can do flip, loop, Lutz, so why not start putting them into my programs?"
Tom Zakrajsek, who coaches Mroz at the Colorado Springs World Arena, thinks landing multiple quads is his skater's trademark.
"He's showing you can do more than quad toe and quad Salchow," Zakrajsek said. "Maybe that will be his legacy to the sport."
For his free skate, Mroz has returned to the program he used during his successful 2008-09 season, a Bach medley, including "Toccata and Fugue," choreographed by Lori Nichol.
"Any program by Lori is a great program, and this one is really well constructed," Zakrajsek said. "Brandon knows his body better now than he did then, so he can perform it even better."
"I felt like [the Bach medley] and On the Waterfront were my two best," Mroz said. "I felt like I really got into the rhythm. We may work with Jeff Buttle to make some changes to it."
Miner and Mroz will square off against another Zakrajsek student, 20-year-old Max Aaron, who finished eighth at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as well as Alaskan Keegan Messing, the seventh-place finisher at the 2012 U.S. Championships, and national competitor Wesley Campbell. Harrison Choate and Timothy Koleto, fourth and sixth, respectively, in juniors at the 2012 U.S. Championships, are also scheduled to compete. |