16 year old DeAnna Clark, of Dimondale, MI, is the Midwestern Novice Bronze Medalist. She skated to a sixth place finish at Nationals.

How and when did you begin skating?
I began began skating at the age of six. I took part in the USFSA Basic Skills program. I began skating when I took a field trip for school. I loved skating so much I decided to keep on skating.

Name some of your goals for the upcoming season.
My goals for next year are to stay on my feet at competiton and to make it to Midwesterns.

What are your long term goals?
My long term goals on the ice are to compete at Nationals as [a] Senior and to land all of my triples. My long term goals off the ice are to finish high school this next year, go on to college, and get a degree in physical therapy.

This summer, what have you been working on?
I hope to improve the my triple salchow and my triple toe loop and get a decent triple loop.

Will you be competing as a junior this season?
I took my junior freeskate in March of 2001.

You finished sixth as a Novice at Nationals last season. What was "the Nationals experience" like?
My Nationals experience was the best ever!!!! I can't explain what the feeling was like it was something I had never felt in skating before. I didn't notice I was there until I was in the plane leaving. This was my first year I had ever made it out of Regionals in freestyle, so it was even more exciting. After the Novice competition was over there was a two day seminar for all of the novice skaters. That was fun. It gave us a chance to get to know the other skaters and we also learned many things. We learned how judges judge and proper jump and training techniques. After the seminar it gave us [sic] then a chance to see the city of Boston (which was beautiful) and watch then Junior and Senior events.

Anything new in your programs this year?
You will probably see same as last season, and triple toe and maybe even [a] loop. I also have a new choreographer, Olga Volozhinskaya. So there will be a little different style of choreography.

Who is your favorite skater?
Scott Hamilton, because he has a lot of strength and courage to go through what he did on and off the ice.

What do you love about skating?
The feeling that you did the best you could.