Going into the 2002 US National Championships at the Junior level, 2002 Southwest Pacific Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional Champion, Felicia Beck, hoped to finish in the top six, and maybe make the podium. As she told Unseen Skaters over the summer, she wanted to “return to Nationals to place higher than I did in 2000,” when she finished twelfth.

This year Beck felt confident, knowing that she had skated well all season. Plus, the competition was being held in Los Angeles, near her hometown of Lake Arrowhead, CA. “I could feel the support of the hometown crowd, and it felt great!” she says. “For this event, I had family and friends in the audience and it made me feel so special to know that they were all there cheering for me.”

In her energetic short program to Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Beck landed a triple lutz combination, double loop and double axel. As several people noted, Beck’s program was full of style and personality. “I wanted to go out and have the best time of my life and convey the excitement that I felt in my high energy program to the audience,” she explains. “I could see the smiles on the faces of the crowd and I knew then that the energy was reciprocated. After my short [program], I was so happy that I skated well and I just embraced my coach Christa [Fassi]. When I saw my name in second [place], I almost fell over as I looked for my name from the bottom of the placement of competitors,” she adds modestly.

But her short program was not without controversy. Some spectators who posted their reviews on the Internet pointed out her unconventional triple lutz entrance and the apparent underrotation of some of her jumps. Other event attendees noted her good spins, ice presence, spark and personality while skating. The judging panel seemed equally divided, as Beck’s short program ordinals were all over the board – ranging from first to eighth place. Beck would finish second in the short program.

Beck’s long program is to “Paint it Black,” by the Rolling Stones, which showcases her good ice presence, personality and speed. “She started out with a really great opening layback spin, very deep arch,” photographer Antoinette Aubert wrote of Beck in her Nationals review, and “she ended with a really, well extended Biellmann spin.” With two falls (on a triple lutz and a triple salchow), the judges at Nationals awarded Beck a fifth place finish in the long program. Once again, her ordinals covered a wide range, this time from third to eighth.

Overall, Beck finished third at Nationals. “I felt so alive in Staples Center,” she remembers. “Again, looking from the bottom, I saw my name go up on the screen and I felt so fortunate to be the U.S. Junior Ladies Bronze Medalist, as I felt equally fortunate to be competing amongst such talented athletes.” When asked about how her 2002 Nationals experience compared with her experience from two years ago, Beck says “My last Nationals was a learning experience and I felt more self-confident this year.”

Based on her success at Nationals, the United States Figure Skating Association assigned Beck to her first international competition, the Gardena Spring Trophy in Italy, this March. Gardena will be her first-ever international competition. “I am so excited to represent the U.S. in international competitions, especially Gardena. Michelle [Kwan] told me that Gardena was her first international competition as well, and that it was the most beautiful place she'd ever been,” she says enthusiastically. In addition, to breaking in new skates, Beck is trying to learn a little Italian off the computer so she can get around Selva Val Gardena, although her coach, Christi Fassi, is fluent in the language.

Although Felicia Beck’s 2001-2002 competitive season is not yet finished, it is already obvious that this was a most successful year. Not only did she make good on her goal to improve her placement at Nationals, but she also went home with a bronze medal from the event and an assignment to an international competition. “I am thrilled and I can't wait until the end of March” for Gardena, she says excitedly. No doubt the Gardena Trophy will be a fitting finish to her season.

Photographs courtesy Felicia Beck (top), Dave Amorde, and Richard M. Hartman. Skate photograph copyright © Dave Amorde. Unless otherwise noted, all content Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.