Princeton Kwong, 14, is the 2004 U.S. Novice Men's Champion. He represents the Peninsula Skating Club and trains in San Jose, California, where he is coached by Sergei Ponomarenko and Marina Klimova, the 1992 Olympic gold medalists in ice dancing for Russia. He previously medaled nationally at the Juvenile and Intermediate levels, winning the pewter (4th place) and silver medals, respectively, in 2002 and 2003. Named after his Uncle Princeton, Kwong has just completed his freshman year of high school as a full-time student.

How did you skate in your first junior level and junior international competition in Italy, March 31-April 4, 2004 -- the Gardena Spring Trophy -- where you won the silver medal?
In the short, I landed the 2axel, had wobbly 3flip, and landed the 3toe/2toe. I was a little disappointed that I did not have a strong 3flip. But overall, I felt that I did well in the short.

In the long, I landed my opening jump, the 3lutz/2toe. Next I did a 3toe/1toe (I don't know what happened), fell on the 3flip, landed the 3loop, landed the 3flip/2toe, landed the 3salchow, landed the 2axel, and landed a 3toe. All together, I landed 6 triples with 2 successful combinations. I felt really happy that I landed the 3lutz/2toe for solidly for the first time in competition. And I felt glad that I was able to land more than five triples, which was how many I landed at Nationals.

Which Italian cities did you visit after the competition, and did you have a favorite place?
When I went touring with my family, we visited Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Milan. I'd have to say that my favorite place that we visited was Pisa. The leaning tower was quite awesome. We got lost in the narrow streets of Venice, and there was a ton of dog manure in the streets of Milan and Florence. What made the whole trip to Italy exciting was that my uncle and aunt came to watch me compete. They also toured with us.

How did your May 8, 2004 concert go, and what piece did you perform?
My concert went very well. It was at Holy Names University in Oakland, CA, and I played a solo flute concerto accompanied by the University staff orchestra: Mozart's Concerto No. 1 in G Major for flute and orchestra. The concert hall was a full house. My family and my coaches, Sergei and Marina, along with other friends, attended the event.

Are playing the flute and the sport of figure skating complimentary activities for you? If yes, how? Does your classical music training influence your skating in any specific way?
My flute teacher, Robin DeMartini, says that my competitive skating spirit is a plus to flute performance. My coach, Sergei Ponomarenko, also reminds me to “breathe” before I execute a jump, kind of like taking a big breath before playing a long phrase in flute music. In both disciplines, once I’m on the ice or stage, the program, no matter how difficult, will come so “automatic” that it leaves me no instance to get apprehensive while I’m in the middle of it. So, as soon as I hear my cue, I just “go." Classical music has influenced my taste for melodic and rhythmic styles and also has a good training of timing of the different elements in my skating programs.

What summer competitions are on your schedule and what technical content are you planning for your programs?
For this summer I plan to attend the following Junior Men competitions: CCIA Senior Competition in San Francisco, CA [June 19-20]; Hidden Valley Open in Escondido, CA [July 8-11]; NACS in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada [August 26-29]. I am looking forward to plan a 3lutz/2toe for my short and adding a triple/triple combo, and another 3lutz in my long program.

Would you like to share the titles/composers of your 2004-05 program music?
The music this year is the same as last year with added segments. Junior Men Short Program: "Russian Sailor's Dance" by Reinhold Gliere. Freeskate: Disney's Atlantis, the Lost Empire by James Newton Howard.

Could you summarize your first club competition of the season (Central California Interclub Association) on June 19-20 in San Francisco?
Here's a rundown of CCIA:
SP: 3lutz/2toe, 3loop, 2axel.
FS: 3lutz/2toe, 3axel (became 1axel), 3flip/3toe (became 2toe), 3loop (landed and 3-turned), 3flip (fall), 3sal, 2axel, 3toe/2toe.

I was satisfied with landing the 3lutz/2toe in both the SP and FS. Because of the soft ice condition, I was not able to try my 3axel and 3/3 combo. Perhaps next time, it will be better.

Are you happy or not so happy to not have to travel far from your home to compete in your first Junior Grand Prix in Long Beach, California, in September? What do you hope to accomplish in your first JGP?
I’m happy to compete closer to home, since this will give more possibility for my friends and relatives to view the competition. Since I had a great opportunity to compete in Italy in the 2004 Gardena Spring Trophy and in August I will travel to Waterloo, Canada, to compete in the 2004 NACS, it is a treat to be assigned to the JGP in my home state. In my first JGP, I hope to skate a strong, competitive program, to land 7 triples, including the triple axel.

Was it difficult to persuade your coach, Sergei Ponomarenko, who primarily trains ice dancers, to take you on as a singles skater? How would you characterize his coaching style?
It was my parents who asked Sergei to become my main coach, and I became his first freestyle student. At the time he had higher level students of ice dancing while I was only in juvenile level freestyle. I felt really good when he was there for me at Lake Placid (2003 Jr. Nationals - Intermediate Level), Atlanta (2004 Nationals - Novice Level), and also at Selva di Val Gardena, Italy (2004 Gardena Spring Trophy - Junior Level) plus all the Regionals and Sectional. When he couldn’t be there, he made sure his good friend, Alexandre Fadeev, would be there for me (2002 Jr. Nationals - Juvenile Level at Bensenville, IL). Sergei’s coaching style, personally to me, is positive and encouraging. He remains firm on his Russian-influenced techniques and is patient to get me to do what he expects. Back when I was learning the double axel, Sergei helped me with that jump, to get it consistent. Then the other triples came one by one. Currently, he is working with me on the triple axel. I can start to feel the jump with his consistent technique. Also, he is patient to guide me, knowing that this jump will take some time to get over the hump, so there’s no rush with it.

How do you think your overall skating is influenced by the coaching and choreography of Russian ice dancers who were trained in the elite Soviet figure skating system? In your experience, are there notable differences between the American and Russian coaching styles?
Through the years that I’ve learned from Marina and Sergei, they have given me the flexibility to explore and to translate their choreography. For example, certain jumps for me feel more natural with a certain setup pattern on the ice and all of us would collaborate together to make it work as a whole program. To me, I don’t think so much about the differences between American and Russian coaching style. Rather, everyone in the team can think along the same line and agree on things and look forward to achieving the same goals of winning.

You recently returned from the USFSA's Sports Sciences and Medicine workshop in Lake Placid, New York (June 9-13, 2004). What was the highlight for you?
The best part about the camp was the on-ice video. Each of us had to execute a set of jumps (triple axel, triple lutz, triple flip, triple-triple combo, etc.) and later had a chance to review the video clips with a USFSA coach which was very informative. The actual jump session was a lot of challenge, yet casual, since each skater was given plenty of time to warm up and do the jump when ready. All in all, it was a good experience. Just to be at the Olympic Training Center was a treat!