Skate America 1999

Winkler/Lohse finish 4th at Skate America

In their first Grand Prix event Skate America (October 29 to 31 in Colorado Springs) this season, Kati Winkler/Rene Lohse finished just out of the medals and came in 4th. They debuted their new free dance "Time goes Millennium" set to modern rhythms which contained a lot of new and original elements. Right at the beginning, Kati and Rene are portraying a clock for example. The theme of the program is the beginning of a new millennium. So they wore also very futuristic blue-silver costumes that looked like taken from a Sience-Fiction movie.

"We are so glad that it went well today", a delighted Kati said after the event. "The Latin dance is more demanding, because you have to move your whole body all the time. Additionally, this program wasn't ready for a long time. We skated more often through our free dance, and I think this shows."

After all, Kati was pleased with the event. "Maybe it was good that I made that mistake in the OD", she said. "You are learning from mistakes."

The marks for the free dance went up to 5.5 for technique and 5.6 for presentation. Three judges (Germany, Hungary, Italy) put Kati and Rene 3rd, four voted for fourth place.


Winkler/Lohse drop to 4th in the OD

Kati Winkler/Rene Lohse dropped from third to fourth in the Original Dance Friday at Skate America. Their OD started well with the samba ("Le serpent") and the Rhumba ("Yo lo se que te vas") but then they run out of breath and slowed down significantly after the second minute of the three-minute-program. Additionally, Kati unfortunaly had a little stumble on a twizzle. "I just didn't have strength anymore", she explained. "I felt like I was falling asleep." It was the high altitude that affected the couple, although Kati and Rene had arrived already one week ago to get adapted to the altitude (about 6,000 feet/2 000 meters). The marks for the OD ranged from 4,9 to 5,3 (A) and from 5,0 to 5,4 (B). However, the OD is an excellent program, and both show a lot of impression. The audience appreciated the perfomance very much.


Winkler/Lohse 3rd after the Compulsory at Skate America

In their first competition this season, Kati Winkler/Rene Lohse placed third in the compulsory dance at Skate America in Colorado Springs on Friday. Their Vienniese Waltz was smooth, although a little bit off timing at the beginning. Their marks were an average 5,2 for both composition and timing/expression. Kati and Rene were pleased with this start into the season. The Original Dance will be held on Friday afternoon.

Zurück