Texas teen leads novice competition; Woodbury's Abou-Nasr is 12th

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: January 21, 2008 - 12:01 AM

Sophia Lamay didn't try to play it cool after winning the novice women's short program Sunday. The Texas teen gasped when she saw her scores, then hugged her coaches with every bit as much exuberance as she showed in her skate at Xcel Energy Center.

Lamay, 14, kicked off the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an energetic, vibrant performance to "Happy Feet" and "42nd Street" that put her atop the 12-athlete field in her first senior national championships. She combined high-difficulty spins with solid jumps and loads of charisma to earn 38.86 points. Marissa Secundy of the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs finished second with 37.26 points despite a fall, and Samiera Abou-Nasr of Woodbury was 12th.

The eight-day nationals began with competition in all four novice disciplines, as well as the junior women's short program. Brittany Chase and Andrew Speroff of the Broadmoor Skating Club won the novice pairs short program by less than a point -- 37.35 to 37.01 -- over clubmates Brynn Carman and Christopher Knierim.

The first day concluded with the novice men's short program, won by Daniel O'Shea of the Skokie Valley Figure Skating Club in Illinois. He scored 46.89 points, only 0.30 ahead of Alexander Zahradnicek of Silver Spring, Md., and the Georgia Figure Skating Club. David Wang finished third with 45.03 points.

Chloe Wolf and Rhys Ainsworth, of the University of Delaware and North Atlantic Figure Skating Clubs, finished first in the novice dance compulsory dance at 25.54. The novice competition ends today with the free skates in all four events.

"It felt so good to have a big accomplishment like that," said Lamay, of Houston, who finished 11th in the intermediate division at the 2006 and '07 junior national championships. "All my hard work paid off. I'm very excited to get to this level."

Lamay's coaches include Kitty Carruthers Conrad, who with brother Peter Carruthers won four U.S. pairs titles from 1981 to '84. They were the 1984 Olympic silver medalists.

Smiling Samiera

Abou-Nasr didn't know how many family members and friends had come to see her skate Sunday. "A lot," she said, as she struggled to hold onto an armload of stuffed animals and flowers that were tossed on the ice after her short program.

She was pleased with her performance to "Black Magic Woman," despite popping a lutz and falling on her opening jump. Coach Tom Incantalupo of the St. Paul Figure Skating Club said he didn't set any concrete goals for his pupil's first national championships. Abou-Nasr scored 26.37 points.

"She attacked it and went for it," he said. "As a novice, you can't come into nationals with expectations. It's about making it and experiencing it."

Abou-Nasr, 16, will perform tonight's free skate to music from the films "A Beautiful Mind" and "Pollock."

"I was a little nervous getting on the ice," she said. "But I think it went really well. I felt comfortable out there. It was a good start for me."

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