New pair on the block: Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett
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CLEVELAND -- Every once in a while, figure skating judges do something that’s shocking in a positive sense.
Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett of Ellenton, Fla., who began skating together only a few months ago, skated a clean and impressive short program to James Bond movie music Thursday and took the lead after the first phase of the pairs competition at the U.S. Figure Skating championships.
Denney, a former competitive roller skater, and Barrett, who drives the Zamboni at the rink where he trains, earned 61.51 points. That vaulted them ahead of defending champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (61.12) and Rena Inoue and John Baldwin (62.11).
Only the top two pairs here will advance to the World Championships, to be held in Staples Center in March. The pairs will perform their long programs on Saturday.
In the old, 6.0-based system this probably wouldn’t have happened. Reputation often influenced the judges as they ranked the skaters in comparison to each other, and previous champions often were held up.
Not in this case. McLaughlin and Brubaker made some mistakes and Denney and Barrett didn’t, and they got the marks they deserved.
Denney and Barrett skated together for four months in the summer of 2006, a partnership ended when she moved to Colorado Springs to try for a singles skating career. She moved back to Florida when that didn’t work out, and they reunited last June.
‘Caydee is the best partner that anyone can ask for,’ said Barrett, who previously won the U.S. junior title with another partner, Shantel Jordan.
-- Helene Elliott