Ice king
While most high school students relaxed during the recent holiday break, St. Viator High School junior Daniel O'Shea doubled his workload.
The 16-year-old Gurnee resident spent much of his break at Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove, working both on ice and off, in preparation for the upcoming U.S. Figure Skating Association's national championships.
The highly anticipated event opens Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. It will be Daniel's second trip to nationals, after taking first place at the Midwest sectionals in November, and placing eighth place last year in the novice division.
"I hope to finish in the top four," Daniel says during a rare break from his training. "I just want to skate a clean program, and land all my jumps."
Working on his jumps has consumed much of his recent practices, and it shows. Since his sectional title, he has added three triple jumps to his arsenal, including the triple lutz, triple flip and triple loop.
In his short program alone, which he skates to George Winston on piano playing "Spanish Caravan," Daniel intends to pack in a double axle, triple salcow and triple toe loop-double toe loop combination.
His longer, freestyle program features music by popular composer John Williams from the film, "JFK," and showcases one of its tracks, "Summoning the Hero."
"It's more dramatic than my short program," Daniel said, "and just makes me feel stronger, skating to its slow, strong and steady music."
The teen works with a team of coaches. Sandi Delfs serves as his primary coach, along with Rob Peal and Alex Ouriashev, but the team also includes two-time Olympic gold medalist in ice dancing Susie Wynn Barth as his choreographer, and Vernon Hills-based personal trainer Jeff Schultz.
During the school year, he leaves St. Viator shortly after 1 p.m. to head to the rink, where he practices until 5 p.m. He returns to the ice again on Saturdays.
Up until this year, Daniel attended Carmel High School in Mundelein, where he rose as early as 4 a.m. to skate before classes, and then returned after school.
With his transfer to St. Viator, he says, he has eliminated his morning practices and starts earlier in the afternoons, with his pre-arranged early dismissal. However, during the holidays, he spent five to six hours a day at the rink, before heading to work with his personal trainer.
"Daniel is an extremely focused and hard working skater," Delfs said. "He has improved technically, and he is hoping to land his first triple lutz in competition."
Admittedly, the stakes in men's figure skating have risen. Ever since Rolling Meadows native Timothy Goebel landed the first quad jump in competition, technical expectations have taken on new heights.
Even in the novice division, still two levels away from men's seniors, elite skaters regularly land triple jumps in their short and freestyle programs.
"There's not much that divides us," Daniel said, "except that the senior men land their triples a lot more consistently, and just look more confident doing it."
No matter where Daniel finishes at nationals, he advances to the junior level next year because of his age, with the hopes of moving up to men's senior level in 2010, which just happens to be an Olympic year.
"I just love to compete," Daniel said. "It's a rush to get out there and compete."