\u2018You\u2019re in the right place.\u2019 That\u2019s the phrase repeatedly heard from multiple coaches and friends that reassured freshman Keyton Bearinger that he was on the right track. Bearinger and his family set out for Boston, Mass. on Saturday, Jan. 4, in order for Bearinger’s\u00a0competition\u00a0in the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.<\/p>\n
Keyton\u2019s mother, Marla Bearinger, drove from their home here in Midland through Canada to get to Boston.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took about 20 hours even though it was only supposed to take 12,\u201d Keyton said. \u201cWe watched all four of the \u2018Lethal Weapon\u2019 movies in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keyton is a pairs skater, meaning he skates with his partner, 11-year-old Pelagia Pamel, at the Detroit Skating Club where they practice about three times a week. After placing third at the Midwestern Sectionals in East Lansing, Keyton and Pamel discovered they\u2019d be traveling to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Boston.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I stepped on the ice in Boston I was very surprised,\u201d Keyton said. \u201cThe ice rink they had there was a make-shift rink which means the ice is hollow. To a skater, that makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were a number of jumps and lifts during the routine and Keyton experienced a minor fault during his performance with Pamel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first axel was clean but [during] the second one, my foot spazed out when I went to land and I ended up falling,\u201d Keyton said.<\/p>\n
Though there is a certain disappointment when something goes wrong, skating, like any sport,\u00a0isn’t\u00a0all physical. Coaches offered pieces of advice and assisted the pair in keeping their heads held high and their thoughts positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mostly tried to not get upset if things\u00a0weren’t\u00a0going right,\u201d Keyton said. \u201cCoaches [and] parents are always telling me that people are always watching me and if I get upset that looks bad on me. If the judges see that [I\u2019m upset] the scores are more likely to go down. I basically try to keep my cool and present the best [that] I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an overall score of 30.33, Keyton and Pamel placed 10th out of 12 teams. Keyton thought making it to a national competition after just a few years of skatingwas a big achievement, his family felt the excitement as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of my brother,\u201d senior Alexis Bearinger said. \u201cTo be able to accomplish something this huge in such a little time and at his age is impressive. I look forward to seeing him achieve his dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Achieving a dream is just what Keyton plans to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m not old enough to participate in the Olympics, but it\u2019s a definite goal,\u201d Keyton said. \u201cI hope [to go] back to Nationals and have another good time and do better than we did last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
All in all, making the cut to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships proved to be a positive experience for Keyton and his family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018You\u2019re in the right place.\u2019 That\u2019s the phrase repeatedly heard from multiple coaches and friends that reassured freshman Keyton Bearinger that he was on the right track. Bearinger and his family set out for Boston, Mass. on Saturday, Jan. 4, in order for Bearinger’s\u00a0competition\u00a0in the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Keyton\u2019s mother, Marla Bearinger, drove […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":362,"featured_media":6696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[820,459,818,819,821],"class_list":["post-6601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3feature","tag-alexis-bearinger","tag-boston","tag-figure-skating","tag-keyton-bearinger","tag-nationals"],"yoast_head":"\n