Kat Cornetta

@katcornetta.bsky.social

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Freelance sports writer (figure skating, women’s hockey, gymnastics.) Executive assistant in education. North Shore, MA-based / Rochester, NY native.

Isabeau Levito had a solid short program practice Tuesday night. Afterward she reported that her spot at Worlds was "official a week or so ago." Levito says that the injury that kept her out of U.S. Nationals changed her outlook on skating. "It gave me a new perspective," said Levito. "I'm much more grateful." Her injury "didn't allow for any cross training," so she had true free time for the first time in a while. She liked it for the first three days and then was antsy to return. "It feels right again," Levito said of being back.
Andrew Torgashev was the only U.S. men’s skater to show up at the group’s afternoon practice session at the Steriti Rink. “I'll do the session tonight, for sure,” said Torgashev after the session. “It’s the only one (on the TD Garden ice) until the short program, so that one's going to be important just to get the feel of the ice. But, I mean, I'm here to skate, so why not skate?” Torgashev has not competed since the U.S. Championships. He hasn’t made any big changes to his programs between then and Worlds. “I’m trying to work on the overall quality of everything and just come in here and put my best foot forward, and try to get those Olympic spots,” said Torgashev.
Strong long program run-through from World Junior pair champions Metelkina and Berulava. The tight timeframe between World Juniors and Worlds is not an issue for the pair. “Last season it was wort because time was pressed way more,” said Berulava. “But this year it is okay.” The pair made the call to go back to their short program from the 2023-24 season for Worlds. “It was just a joint decision,” said Berulava. “It was a better choice for this particular event.” “It was a winning program last season, and we decided to go back to it,” said Metelkina
Canadians Pereira and Michaud had a strong, confident practice on the main rink, with a good run-through of their tango free skate, which has matured throughout the season. “(The programs) have gotten bigger and better throughout the season,” said Michaud. “We had a great outing at Nationals and Four Continents, and we still made sure we came home and saw (choreographers) Madi, Adrian and Scott to work on our long, and get some feedback from JL and Liv on the short.” Pereira is excited and secure going into this week. “(The practice) felt great,” said Pereira. “It’s so nice to be back at our third World Championships. So nice to be here in Boston. We have prepared super well for this event, and we’ve been waiting since Four Continents to get here.”
Carreira and Ponomarenko had great run-through of their rhythm dance. Very clean, high energy, showcased their speed. This is the first time they have skated with the LED boards, and they had to adjust their choreography a bit due to them. Carreira took it all in stride. “Since it’s LED, I can’t hit the wall,” said Carreira. “It doesn’t change much, I just can’t hit the wall. We made a joke with the coaches that when it is that moment, they need to hit something so we hear a sound.” In preparation for Worlds, they have adjusted their pattern step in the rhythm dance and made a minor change to the ending of their free. “But it’s been mostly refinements,” said Ponomarenko.
Jinna Han! That’s it. That’s the headline. Han, the 2023 New England Regional Juvenile Champion, has a command of the ice and a performance ability that reaches the last row of the rink…and then through the glass windows to the rink next door. She was in several numbers and stood out in every single one. She points her toes, has a snap to her jumps and spins very well. There was a buzz about Han after the event, and I can’t wait to see what else she accomplishes as a competitor and a performer.