Skating Club of Wilmington talent trains for nationals, perhaps the Olympics

Some of the best ice-skating talent in the country is hard at work at the Skating Club of Wilmington (SCW), hoping one day for Olympic glory.

On. Jan. 9, the club will showcase some of that talent during an exhibition that will serve as a warm up for next month's U.S. National Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Ashley Wagner, the only American woman to qualify for the 2009 Grand Prix Finals in Tokyo, is leading the way.

“It’s an opportunity to practice our programs under pressure, with people watching,” Wagner said.

The send-off will also feature Viktor Pfeifer, who two weeks ago won the Austrian men’s championship. For Pfeifer, the send-off will serve as a tune up for the European championships in Estonia.

The show is the latest cog in the never-ending quest for Olympic glory for these and other skaters. Several of the skaters are like Wagner in that they have relocated to train at SCW.

Wagner, 18, is an Army brat who came to Wilmington from the Washington, D.C. area more than a year ago.

Pfeifer, 22, moved to Newark three years ago to train at the skating rink.

Both Wagner and Pfeifer have one thing in common. They are coached by world-renowned Priscilla Hill, former coach of three-time U.S. men’s champion Johnny Weir.

Several of the skaters also work with coach Karl Kurtz, who took U.S. skaters Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn to an Olympic silver medal.

And there is talented choreographer Irina Romanova, who skated for the Ukraine and the Soviet Union and now works with all the skaters.

The Skating Club of Wilmington has been a destination point for top level talent since Hill and Kurtz arrived two years ago, said Don Thureau, president of the non-profit Skating Club of Wilmington Foundation. They had been stationed at The Pond in Newark.

“Those two have really partnered,” Thureau said. “We love it.”

Wagner’s move to Wilmington appears to be paying dividends. She reportedly has been quietly distinguishing herself from the dozen U.S. Olympic hopefuls. Wagner is ranked 12th among women by the ISU (International Skating Union).

She finished fourth at the Grand Prix Finals this fall and third at the Grand Prix held in Moscow in October.

Wagner hopes that experience will translate into an edge at nationals. She hopes to improve upon her third place finish at the 2008 U.S. championships and appears to be well on her way.

“That was good for me because none of the other U.S. girls experienced that,” she said. “It’s a huge deal and the U.S. ladies has only two spots for the Olympics.

“We have a bunch of girls that are extremely competitive,” she said. “It’s going to be difficult, but we all have a shot at making it.”

Pfeifer has already qualified for the Austrian team. His first biggest hurdle occurred at the international qualifying round for the Olympic trials in October, where Pfeifer had to earn a spot for his country. Then, he won the Austrian nationals two weeks ago to earn a return trip to the Olympics. It was his fourth Austrian title.

“We skate internationally and people always ask, ‘where do you train,’” he said. “That’s why there’s so many new people coming here because everyone wants to be part of this. It’s a very nice environment. They are very supportive – the members and skaters.”