Dennis Phan, 18, is the 2003 U.S. Junior Men's Champion. He finished 14th in his senior men’s debut at 2004 Nationals and 7th at his first World Junior Championships in March 2004. He represents All Year FSC and is coached by Tammy Gambill at Ice Town in Riverside, California. Philip Mills is his choreographer. At press time, Phan's tentative 2004 summer competition schedule includes Liberty (July 13-17, in Newark, Delaware), Silicon Valley Open (August 18-21, San Jose, CA), and Golden West (Sept. 1-5, Culver City, CA). The photos were taken by Dave Amorde at Ice Town's 2004 Spring Showcase in April.

When and how did you begin skating?
I start skating when I first moved in with my mom. My mom started skating when she moved to the desert. So, when my brother and I moved to the desert with her, she thought it would be a good idea to take us skating to get out of the heat. And from there I wanted to skate. My mom was the first one to teach me how to skate. Just some of the basics that she had learned when she took skating classes.

What are your long-term goals in skating and off the ice?
My long term goals in skating are to win Nationals as a senior man and to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. My goals off the ice are to graduate from college and to become an optometrist.

What are your goals for the upcoming year (2004-05)?
My goals for this year are to go to the JGP Final, medal at Nationals, and get my quads consistent.

Have you chosen your music for next season yet?
We have not been able to find music yet for my programs. My coach, choreographer, and I are trying to do something different this year with my programs. We have not been able to find that right piece yet. We are just trying to find a different kind of style for me to skate to.

Who has been your greatest influence on your skating and how have they influenced it?
I would have to say that my mom has been the greatest influence on my skating. She is a single mother of two. My mother has been able to provide my brother and me with everything a two-parent family could provide for their families. Seeing my mom work hard every day to provide for our family makes me work hard when I'm on the ice because I know how much my mom has worked so that I am able to do what I love. I hope that she knows how much I love her and appreciate everything she has done for me.

What is your favorite jump, spin and connecting move?
My favorite jump would have to be the triple toe. My spin would have to be the death drop. My favorite connecting step would have to be the spread eagle.

Who are your favorite skaters and why?
I would have to say Scott Hamilton because of how he pulled through all the illnesses that he has had, and with everything he has gone through in life. With everything he has gone through he was still able to capture a gold medal at the Olympics and put on all the shows for the figure skating world. It shows me that if you're determined and confident, you can achieve anything life throws at you.

What do you feel are the weakest and strongest aspects of your skating?
I think one of my weaknesses is being inconsistent in competition, and another is my footwork. My strongest aspects of skating, I have to say, are my spins, choreography (the in-betweens), and my jumps.

Describe and evaluate your programs at Regionals, Sectionals, and Nationals. What did you think of your performances?
I wasn't at Regionals because I was at a JGP In Bled, Slovenia. My programs in Bled were pretty good. My short was not my best, but it was OK. I was fourth after the short. In my short, I fell on my triple lutz-triple toe combo, landed my double axel and footwork into triple flip. My long program was great. I moved up to second after my long program. I landed a triple lutz-double toe combo, double axel, triple flip, triple loop-triple loop combo, another triple lutz, popped my triple flip, and landed a triple sal at the end of my program. I would have to give my short a 6 out of 10 and my long would have to be a 9 out of 10.

At Sectionals, my short was fairly good. I was first after the short. I landed triple lutz-triple toe combo, double axel and triple flip. My long program was great. I remained first after the long. I would have to give my short a 7 out of 10 and my long a 9 out of 10. In my long program, I landed a triple lutz-triple toe combo, double axel, triple flip, triple loop-triple loop, another triple lutz, double axel, and triple sal at the end of my program.

My programs were okay at Nationals. My short program was fairly decent. I flipped out onto my knee on my triple lutz- triple toe combo, fell on the triple axel and landed the triple flip. I would give that a 5 out of 10. My long was fairly decent. I landed a triple lutz-double toe, fell on my triple axel, landed a triple flip, flipped out on my triple loop-triple loop, fell on my other triple lutz, added a triple toe, and ended with a triple sal. I would give that a 5 out of 10, too.

Describe your experience at Junior Worlds in The Hague, Netherlands. What was different about it from other competitions, and what did you learn?
My experience at Junior Worlds was great. I got to see the country, which was amazing. The team met the U.S. ambassador and his wife at their beautiful home. Team USA was an amazing team. My skating experience was great. Just getting to skate with international skaters was amazing. Everyone got along which was great. Even though we were competing against each other we were still able to get along and become good friends. I didn't think of Junior Worlds as anything other than another competition. I had always looked at international competition differently, but I have learned that they are like any other competitions I do. So I just looked at Junior Worlds as another competition. I learned that everyone is a great skater, it's just who has that drive and desire to go after what they want.

[Editor's Note: In the qualifying round at Junior Worlds, it was reported that Phan landed triple lutz-double toe, fell on his triple axel, turned out of his triple flip, landed triple loop-triple loop, fell on triple lutz, and landed triple toe and triple salchow (3rd place). In his short program to the Pearl Harbor soundtrack, Phan landed triple lutz-triple toe, double axel, and triple flip, and performed very good spins (6th place). In his free skate to the Three Musketeers, he landed triple lutz-triple toe, fell on triple axel, doubled the flip, hung on to triple loop, fell on triple lutz, and landed triple flip and triple salchow. His spins had nice speed and positions, and other highlight moves included outside edge spread eagles in two directions and two consecutive Russian split jumps (9th place; 7th overall.)]

What was it like to win Nationals at the Junior level in 2003?
Winning nationals as a Junior was amazing. I had worked hard that whole year and winning was a great feeling. But what was really great about winning was that I skated my best and so did my competitors, and coming out at the top was great. Knowing that everyone skated well and the majority of the judges put me on top.

What are some of your off-ice hobbies?
I love looking at cars, talking on-line to friends, going to the movies, going to the beach, and I like to go watch tennis.

Why do you love to skate?
I love to skate because at competitions I get this rush. A rush that I don't get when I do other sports. It's just this feeling I get and that's when I know that I am supposed to be doing this. I also love skating because I get to travel all around the world, seeing the cultures, and experiencing how other people live. How can I ask for more? I get to travel around the world, but at the same time I am doing what I love, too.