Kristen Sheaffer, 17, who represents the Starlight Ice Dance Club of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, had hopes of improving on her 2002 Nationals 6th place result in Junior Ladies by staying Junior in 2002-03.  However, her past season was fraught with various physical and mental challenges that culminated in a 10th place finish at Midwestern Sectionals (4th in the short, 11th in the long) in November 2002.  She will compete as a senior in 2003-04 and is coached by Page Lipe.  The original “Spotlight on Kristen Sheaffer” interview from June 2002 can be read here.

Have you moved up to the Senior level for the 2003-04 season?  When did you take your Senior freestyle test?
I have moved up to Senior for the 2003/04 competitive season.  I wanted a fresh start after Midwesterns, so I took my test within a couple weeks of Mids.  This way I could stay focused on the future for the duration of the off-season.

How did your senior competition debut (short program) go at the Braemar/McCandliss competition in March 2003?
Braemar was a good way for me to force myself to learn my programs quickly and keep my feet in the water.  I was satisfied because I just wanted to get myself out there again and I landed my lutz on the warm-up.  I was happy because I skated to the best of my ability at the time.  I feel like I have made substantial improvement since the competition and look forward to my 'summer debut.'

What summer competitions do you currently plan to attend?
At this time I am competing in Skate Detroit [July 24-26] and Minnesota State [Aug. 22-24].  However, I may decide to compete in another competition in August.

Would you like to share your new program music at this time?
My short is a mixed tango with a “Roxanne” from Moulin Rouge and the tango from Red Shoe Diaries.  To be honest, I have no idea what my long is.  It is a compilation from several movies as well as an orchestra.

Who choreographed your new programs?
Cassie Joyce choreographed both my long and short programs.  However, Phillip Mills has also helped me add some finishing touches.

Have you been training anywhere outside of Minneapolis this summer?
I just got back from training with John Nicks in California.  During my time in California I lived with my old trainer, Michelle George.  We worked out a couple times each day, and by the time I left, I was back in shape (after a long semester at the snowy University of Minnesota!).

How long were you in California and how did you find working with John Nicks?
I was in LA for three weeks.  I had very few lessons with John Nicks; however, in our lessons he was very focused and direct.  All of his corrections or comments were short and simple but very helpful.

What (early) goals for the new season have you set?
My goals are to maintain consistency on my upper jumps and to stay focused on my season.  I want to concentrate on just being an athlete because it was really hard for me to do that while working and going to school.  My goal is to skate a clean short and land four triples in my long at Skate Detroit.

Coming off your 6th place finish in Junior Ladies at 2002 Nationals, what was your reasoning at the time for staying junior another season?
I felt like I had a lot to learn about competing, especially at Nationals.  It was hard for me because I would always skate well all year until I got to Nationals.  I knew that by staying Junior I would have the chance to do some soul searching and figure out what I needed to do.  Although I did not make it to [2003] Nationals, I felt like I learned more from Mids than I had my entire skating career leading up until then.

In retrospect, how would you describe and assess your 2002-03 season?
My season last year was challenging to say the least.  I was sick for a good four months straight in the spring with everything from the common cold to tonsillitis to pneumonia (which both went undiagnosed despite several trips to the ER).  Afterward, I went to work at relearning all my jumps.  By the end of the summer I was stuck.  I wasn't going backwards or forwards.  My coach decided to put me back on my old blades.  Things started to pick up, but by this time, it was late September.  I still knew that I had a lot of work to do and a lot of things that I had to figure out.  Time flew by and before I knew it I was at Mids.  [Editor’s Note: Sheaffer had a bye through Upper Great Lakes Regionals because she had won Midwestern Sectionals at the same level the year before.]  It was here that I realized that I probably should have gone through my program a couple times before the competition!  (I had gone back to my programs from the previous year.)  Mids was a breaking point for me.  I knew that what I had been doing was not working, and if I wanted to continue in the sport, there was a lesson I needed to learn.  I learned it, and I definitely knew I learned it in a big way during my long about the 5th or 6th time I found myself on my butt!  The thing was, I had spent my entire skating career trying to skate up to other people's expectations.  At Mids, I knew that I was not in the type of physical shape where that would be a possibility.  This made me think.  I realized that when I go home after the competition, all the other skaters, all the parents, the judges, the spectators, the coaches -- they aren't there.  The only person that is there, no matter what, is me.  I might as well skate and attack my program because, in the end, I will only be okay with myself if I have self-respect, and the only way to get that is to know I did my best.  So, that became my attitude then and is my attitude now.  That enabled me to skate my short [at Mids] and have fun!  [Author’s Note: I can vouch that Kristen gave a very spirited and entertaining performance of her “Pink Panther” short program there.]  My long, although not seemingly successful, proved to me that my idea was right.  I knew that I could not have done anything more than what I did. I was happy with myself because, on that day and in that place in time, I skated the best I could.  (Which is pretty funny considering how I skated!).  With my new tools, I knew that I would be okay in any situation as long as I stayed true to myself and remember why I skate.

What do you remember most vividly about attending 2003 Nationals in Dallas as a spectator?
I remember thinking that “Wow, this is only a competition.”  I think a lot of times Nationals is built up to be more than just another competition, and it was important for me to see it from another perspective and realize that it is only a sporting event.

What was your schooling arrangement in the past year? Favorite subjects?
I participated in the Post-Secondary Education Option at the University of Minnesota.  PSEO is a program in Minnesota that allows high school junior and seniors to attend normal college classes, earning credit, which is paid for by the state.  I take all of my classes at the U of M and have been there since last spring.  Next year I will be a senior and graduate in the spring.  Last year my favorite subject was psychology, although (as crazy as this is) I loved writing papers for my American Lit. class.

What are you current plans for college and beyond?
I haven't completely decided where I want to apply, but I plan to apply to Harvard and Dartmouth out east as well as several schools around Minnesota.  I plan to major in psychology, political science, or international relations and later attend law school.

What fun things off the ice are you looking forward to doing this summer?
I will be working (fun, right!) at Plato's Closet and babysitting, as well as doing many outdoorsy Minnesota, mosquitoey activities such as swimming, and tubing!  There is no way I would go shopping or to movies because I could never miss that 100 degree, 98% humidity weather we tend to get up here! Just kidding!