Summer and Fall Bring Wilson and Brown Some Silver and Gold

Sara, skating with Justin, passed the Pre-Silver Foxtrot dance recently,

Sara & Justin at CIA on test day, Oct. 22, 2014. 

wrapping up a six-month stretch of competitions -- including the team's first gold medal win -- and two successful dance test sessions.

Sara has one more Pre-Silver pattern dance to pass. The ice dance team can then test their novice free dance. That will bring them one step closer to becoming eligible to compete at sectionals in 2015.

A lot is unfolding for Sara and Justin; their challenging future ahead, though, is built on a solid past.

Team Sunfire at Worlds.

An ice dance team for 18 months now, the two teenagers also are members of Team Sunfire, a synchronized skating team that practices at Clearwater Ice Arena (CIA) and finished its season strong at Boston's 2014 ISI World Team
Championships in August.



The 12-member synchro team culminated the season Aug. 2, 2014, at the New England Sports Center, skating the best it had all year. The synchro team won two silver medals for its short and long programs.

For Sara and Justin, the trip to Boston was a fitting ending to a busy and exciting summer that began at the 2014 Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships in Ellenton, Florida.

At the May competition, the dance couple won their first gold medal for their juvenile free dance performance.

They made several improvements to the nearly two and a half-minute program, which is set to two pieces of music -- a 50s ballad and the Jitterbug. They were a joy to watch. To view their performance, click below. :)

The Ellenton event was their first competition as an ice dance team. Below are pictures capturing their debut.

Keeping one's cool and being yourself at competitions sometimes isn't easy. For the most part, though, Sara and Justin put what others may think aside. Here is a video of the two warming up with their hand-clapping routine before they took to the ice at State Games. :)

Two weeks later after competing at State Games, Sara and Justin performed their juvenile free dance one last time. They're now working with their ice dance coach, Marianne Tisch, on their novice free dance. Capturing their final juvenile performance at CIA's Figure Skating Exhibition Show on May 31, 2014, was a treat. To see the video, click below. :)

During the summer, the two teens had a more intense schedule, increasing lessons with Coach Marianne and adding more practice time.

The summer was also filled with a local synchro competition and a test session. At CIA's 28th Annual Summer Competition in June, Team Sunfire won first place in both its short and long programs.

Team Sunfire at CIA's June competition

A month later, Sara and Justin were back ice dancing in front of the judges. Both passed their pattern dance tests.

Justin, skating with Coach Marianne, passed the Rocker Foxtrot, a Silver-level dance.

Skating with Coach Marianne, Justin passes 
the Rocker Foxtrot in July. 

Some of the judges' comments included:

* neat, close steps

* nice lilt to dance

* solo well-skated

* flowed well

* nice lilt

* nice smile

Sara also passed her dance tests on July 16, 2014. Skating with Justin, she passed the Ten Fox, a Bronze-level dance, and the 14 Step, a Pre-Silver dance.

Sara passes two pattern dance tests in July.

Some of the judges' comments included:

* neat, sharp steps

* bold swings

* good carriage

* good expression

* good unison

* neat, close mohawk (a turn that involves a change of foot but not a change of edge)

Wilson and Brown after the July test session.

Weeks later, the two teens hopped on a plane to join Team Sunfire skaters at Worlds. In addition to winning two silver medals, the synchro skaters brought home some wonderful memories.

Along with several other teammates, Sara and Justin enjoyed a three-hour, scenic cruise aboard the Provincetown II, Boston Harbor's largest cruise ship.

Several skaters also attended the Benefit on Ice show where they met former Olympian Mirai Nagasu, and Ross Miner, the 2013 U.S. National Silver medalist.

Of course, they carved out time to do some sightseeing around Boston. The slideshow below shows some highlights.

With their sights set on sectionals next year, the two skaters now need to pass novice moves in the field and their novice free dance. In addition to passing the Pre-Silver European Waltz pattern dance, Sara must also pass one Silver pattern dance to compete at the novice level. All these tests must be passed by Sept. 1, 2015, to qualify for Eastern Sectionals.

Because Sara, 17, attends high school -- she is a senior this year -- summer is the best time to bump up the time spent on the ice. Justin, 18, has always been home schooled -- or more specifically "unschooled," which allows him to spend time on what interests him most. He officially became a high school graduate in April.

The two have a long road ahead and, hopefully, it will be paved with more successful tests and perhaps more silver and gold. But without a doubt, it will be a road paved with lots of ice.