Orinda Native a Budding Figure Skating Star

Moments after finishing her routine in the junior pairs free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday, Orinda native AnnaMarie Pearce sat patiently with her partner, Craig Norris, and waited for the judges’ scores to show on the in-stadium monitor at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

For the duo, the competition was more about progress than placement. They weren’t worried about winning. They just wanted to show well, skating close to their East Bay roots.

When the score appeared – 76.67 – Pearce’s face lit up with a smile. Was it the best score they could post? They both said no, but it did represent a solid showing (7^th place) for the East Bay natives, who have been working together for less than two years.

“We could have done better, but for the program that we put out, it was a good program,” Pearce said. “We came into the competition wanting to do two good solid programs and we did. This is our hometown so we wanted to show them that we were working hard. We were so excited to be able to compete at our home arena.”

Wednesday’s free skate followed Tuesday’s short program, which had them in sixth place.

For Pearce, Tuesday’s performance was the one she’ll remember most. It marked the first time they landed a throw triple loop in competition – a trick they worked to perfect all summer. 

“It was the skate of a lifetime,” she said. 

Pearce has been skating since she was 7-years-old, but didn’t get involved in pairs until last year, when she asked Norris to show her a few elements during a skating session at .

“I originally thought it would be totally different, but I like pairs so much better,” Pearce said. “It was like learning a whole new sport.”

For Norris, who , Pearce turned out to be the partner he was looking for.

“I always knew she’d be a great pairs skater,” Norris said. “She’s the right size, she has the right mindset.”

They competed at nationals last year, but it was a "deer in the headlights" experience, according to Norris. 

"This year we were able to go back to the basics and gel and mesh together and really develop our skills," he said. "We really worked on a lot of that in the spring and summer. During the summer, we were traveling a bunch, doing a bunch of competitions and it gave us a lot of practice leading up to this."

Both skaters said they plan on remaining a team for the long-haul, with their ultimate goal being to represent the United States in international competition. Norris even went as far as to say it might even be possible next year.

"We’ve progressed so much this year, who knows what we’ll be able to do next year," Pearce said.

Next week, however, they'll head to Klamath Falls, Oreg., where they'll perform in Ice! Camera! Action!, a skating show that will also feature 2011 U.S. men's champion Ryan Bradley.

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