Young figure skater overcomes jitters to finish third in juvenile boys
(12/18/2010, Sun Sentinel) Andrew Torgashev, of Coral Springs, won a bronze medal in his first national competition Saturday at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in Salt Lake City.
Torgashev, 9, overcame nervousness to skate a clean program in the finals of the juvenile boys division and record a personal-best score of 49.85.
Torgashev was one of four members of the Panthers Figure Skating Club competing at junior nationals.
“I was really nervous; I had so much pressure on myself,” said Torgashev, the son of coaches Ilona Melnichenko and Artem Torgashev, former skaters on the Soviet National Team. “I’m really proud of myself. All the boys a lot older than me did what they can do, and I did what I can do.”
Competing against skaters as much as three years older, Torgashev landed all of his jumps and excelled at his spins to compensate for not attempting a double axel.
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Andrew Torgashev, who experienced snow for the first time this week, planned to celebrate his medal with a snowboarding trip to the nearby mountains.