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Looking Ahead

Byrne, Bartholomay aim for the podium in St. Paul

With Junior Grand Prix experience under their belt, junior pair is focused on nationals

Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay won the pewter medal in novice pairs at the 2006 U.S. Championships

(October 24, 2007) — Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay, the 2006 Eastern Coast Sectional Champions in junior pairs, paired up after Byrne moved to Bartholomay's rink in 2002.

Since forming their partnership, Byrne (16) and Bartholomay (18) have competed twice at the U.S. Championships. The team finished fourth as novices in 2006 and followed it with a sixth place finish as juniors in 2007.

Byrne and Bartholomay also placed fifth at the 2005 North American Challenge Skate, their first international event, and sixth in 2006. This season, the pair made their Junior Grand Prix debut by finishing ninth at the competition in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The team hopes to defend their Eastern Sectional Championship next month. With a top four finish, the pair will earn their third consecutive trip to the national championships.

On a break from training at the University of Delaware, the pair recently sat down with Figure Skaters Online to answer questions from their fans.

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Linda (New York, USA): What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in skating?
Meg/Nate: We feel that our biggest accomplishment in skating was making team USA. Making the national team has always been one of our goals so it was very exciting to have achieved it.

Shannon (Florida, USA): How did it feel to win the 2006 Eastern Sectional Championships?
Meg: Awesome! We had two great skates and it was so much fun just being in Georgia and skating so well.
Nate: Great! We skated very well and we were very happy with the placement.

Tatiana (New Jersey, USA): How did it feel to compete in your first nationals?
Meg: It was very exciting. Big Nationals was the biggest competition that we had done up until then and to skate at your first Nationals in an Olympic year was even more thrilling. It was very exciting to skate in a large arena with so many people watching and cheering for us. At first I was nervous, but when I got out on the ice I felt all of the energy and just had fun skating.
Nate: It was amazing! It's so much more intense then the local competitions we do and there is so much energy in the rink when we practiced. We were both pretty nervous at first but by the time we had to compete we were ready.

Rebecca (Utah, USA): Are you satisfied with how you did at the U.S. Championships?
Meg: I was not happy with our skate in the long because we didn't skate our best, however it was still very nice to have skated well enough to medal.
Nate: We didn't skate as well as we could have. However, I was satisfied with the result.

Liz (Kentucky, USA): Meg and Nate, thank you so much for taking questions from all of your fans. What was your most memorable off-ice moment from your first nationals in 2006?
Meg: Every thing about my first nationals was memorable so it is very hard for me to pick just one thing. The University of Delaware had a very large national team in St. Louis so it was a lot of fun to share the experience with so many of my friends and see a new city with all of my friends. Watching the Olympic team be chosen was also a great thrill. However one night a lot of the U of D skaters went to a bungee trampoline place and that was so great and lots of Fun.
Nate: UD has a very big national team so a lot of my friends were there. After we were all done competing we had a foose-ball tournament in the competitor's room at the hotel!

Elaine (California, USA): Did you get to watch any of the other events at nationals? If so, what were your favorite moments from the other competitions?
Meg: I was able to watch almost every event and it was great! I think that I enjoyed the senior pairs event the most, it was very exciting to watch them all skate.
Nate: I think I watched almost all of the other events! I enjoyed the senior pairs the most because I look up to a lot of those teams and I had a very good time watching them compete.

Donald (Minnesota, USA): After qualifying for nationals for the first time last year, what are your goals for this season? I really hope that I get to see you compete in St. Paul.
Meg/Nate: Our goal for this season is to make the national team again as juniors and place in the top four at the national championships in St. Paul, Minn.

Mindy (Illinois, USA): Congratulations on your assignment to the Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, Meg and Nate. What did you expect going into the event?
Meg: I was not really sure what to expect since it was my first JGP but I did think that the competition would be very good.
Nate: I expected all of the teams to be very good. However, because it was my first JGP experience I honestly was not sure what to expect.

Jamie (Arizona, USA): What do you think you learned from your event in Lake Placid?
Meg: I learned that I needed to skate just like it was practice and to have fun doing what I love.
Nate: I learned just to keep it cool at events like that. Now that I know what to expect I don't think I will be so nervous.

Jamie (Arizona, USA): What are you looking forward to most this season?
Meg: Skating well in our competitions and U.S. Championships in St. Paul.
Nate: The national championships in St. Paul.

Carlee (Colorado, USA): Will this be your last season as juniors?
Meg/Nate: We haven't decided yet, but we are working hard to be ready for seniors next year.

Regina (Michigan, USA): Meg and Nate, can you tell us a little bit about your new short program?
Meg: Our new short program is very different than any thing we've done before. We are very excited about it because we feel that it is helping us grow to as both skaters and a team. We also love the music.
Nate: Our new short program is very very different for us, we usually have a little bit more up beat music but this is very slow and more of a waltz kind of music.

Regina (Michigan, USA): I see that you're using "Finlandia" by Sibelius again for your free skate. Why did you keep this program? And is there anything different from the version that we saw last year?
Meg/Nate: We kept this music this year because we, our coaches and ourselves, loved the music and thought it would be good for us to use to highlight our strengths. However the program is different and we did move elements around to make it more difficult and more competitive.

Brynn (Colorado, USA): What do you consider the most challenging element in your programs? What is the most difficult element that you have tried before even just in practice?
Meg: I think that the most challenging element in our program is our throw triple toe. The most difficult element that we have tried is the throw quad Salchow.
Nate: Our biggest challenge has been throw quad Salchow.

Shannon (Florida, USA): What do you consider to be the most difficult move in pairs skating?
Meg: I agree with Nate that lifts are difficult moves and I also think that in pairs the fact that you have to have complete faith and trust in not just yourself but your partner too, is also a difficult part of pairs.
Nate: I feel that the most difficult moves in pair skating are some of the difficult combination lifts. They are hard to master because of the crucial balance needed to complete them.

Sarah (Texas, USA): How did you pick the music for your programs?
Meg/Nate: Our coach brought in about 10 CDs that she picked out and we all sat down and listened to them and picked the ones we liked.

Brittany (Maine, USA): Hi Meg and Nate, congratulations on winning Eastern Sectionals last year! What musical artists do you listen to?
Meg: I love to listen to all kinds of music so I do not have a favorite artist.
Nate: I love music and I listen to all kinds of it! Some of my favorites are Green Day, Weezer, Sum 41, and Hinder.

Donald (Minnesota, USA): What's an average training day like for you two?
Meg/Nate: We usually get to the rink for our first session at 8:50 a.m. In addition to skating, we do lifts, workout, lunch, schoolwork, and stretching so we are usually there until about 4:30 p.m.

Rene (Rhode Island, USA): How difficult is it to train in singles and pairs?
Meg: It is definitely challenging to train both singles and pairs because you have to skate sometimes 6 or more sessions a day to make sure all of the elements get the work that they need.
Nate: It's very difficult, sometimes I get up to 6 or 7 sessions a day trying to work on programs and new elements.

Rene (Rhode Island, USA): Do you like pairs skating better than singles?
Meg: I definitely like pairs better. It is so much fun to have someone on the ice sharing the experience with you.
Nate: I love them both the same, I think, even though they're very different in a lot of ways.

Olivia (California, USA): If you had to choose, would you pick skating singles or pairs?
Meg: If I had to choose, I would pick pairs.
Nate: That's hard to answer because for some reasons I would pick singles and for some reasons I would pick pairs. I like them both.

Olivia (California, USA): I know you are accomplished in pairs skating. What are your accomplishments in singles?
Meg: I skated in junior nationals as a juvenile. And I have skated in the final round at regional's in singles from intermediate girls through junior ladies.
Nate: I made the novice national team in Portland, Ore., where I placed ninth—fifth in the short, ninth in the free skate. The year before I made the intermediate men's team in Scottsdale, Ariz., and finished (10th qualifying).

Catherine (North Carolina, USA): How do you handle practicing when you're fatigued or down?
Meg: When I am down, I try to think of how much I love skating and sometimes I try to put on some music that makes me feel happy. I also count on my partner to make me laugh or feel better. Skating when I am tired is a lot harder and you just have to push trough. It is important when you are tired not to push to hard and to remember to be careful because that is how you can get hurt.
Nate: When you're down, it is different from fatigue. I try to turn down thoughts into some sort of motivation because practicing when you're upset or angry doesn't help you at all. Fatigue is very different. It's dangerous to push yourself too hard especially when you do two disciplines so when I feel too fatigued, I make sure to keep drinking lots of fluid and eating good energy foods.

Donald (Minnesota, USA): What motivates you two?
Meg: My love skating is what motivates me to train hard. I also really enjoy the feeling of accomplishing the goals that we have set.
Nate: I have a real passion for this sport and that gets me through those rough times where I need motivation.

Amanda (Colorado, USA): Congratulations on everything that you two have accomplished in the past season. I really enjoyed your free skate at nationals. Which pairs teams do you look up to?
Meg: I look up to Shen and Zhao. I think they have great drive and determination.
Nate: I also look up to Shen and Zhao the most for there determination and courage.

KJ (California, USA): Which skater's did you look up to when you first started?
Meg: When I first stated skating, I looked up to Michelle Kwan.
Nate: I was 8 when I started skating and I didn't know a whole lot about everything. But the first person I remember looking up to was Takeshi Honda.

Rene (Rhode Island, USA): How did you two start skating?
Nate: Meg and Vicki Helgenberg, our current coach, moved to my rink in 2002 and after a couple months of skating there, Vicki mentioned to my coach that Meg was looking for a partner. We tried out about a week later and it went really well so we decided to give it a shot!

Diana (Washington, USA): How old were you both when you started skating?
Meg: I was 7.
Nate: I was 8, almost 9, years old.

Shannon (Florida, USA): How long did it take you both to get your Axels and double Axels?
Meg: It took me about a year and a half to get my Axel and then about three more years to get my double Axel around. I am still working to perfect it and make it bigger and faster and solid all of the time.
Nate: I got my single axel about 3 years after I started skating and my double a little more then 3 years after that.

Brittany (Maine, USA): What's your favorite spin?
Meg: My favorite spin is the layback.
Nate: I really like combination spins. But if I had to pick one position it would be the sit-spin.

Amanda (Oregon, USA): What's your favorite thing about skating?
Meg: I love the feeling of freedom as you are gliding across the ice.
Nate: Learning and mastering new elements.

KJ (California, USA): What do you want to do after you are done with skating?
Meg: I do not know. I want to skate in shows when I am finished competing but after that I am not really sure.
Nate: When I'm done skating competitively I want to be a coach.

Diana (Washington, USA): Have you considered coaching?
Meg: Not really, but then I am not thinking about being done skating for a very long time.
Nate: Of course! I teach group lessons now and I really enjoy it. I hope to make a career out of it when I am done skating competitively and be like to be world class coach.

Elaine (California, USA): Off the ice, what are your hobbies?
Meg: I love spending time with my friends, shopping of course, and going to the beach.
Nate: I really enjoy a lot of other off ice sports like basketball and soccer. I also like to spend time relaxing on weekends and I do a lot of landscaping work for my neighbors.

Ashley: (California, USA): Nate, I read that you like to play football. Do you play any sports at your school?
Nate: Not anymore because I don't have a whole lot of time. However, I did play baseball for 9 years, and soccer for 7 years. I also have my black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Ashley (California, USA): Meg, I read that your favorite show is The OC. Do you like any of the OC reality shows like Laguna Beach and the Hills? I like Lauren Conrad a lot so I'm excited for the new Hills and I like the Newport show too.
Meg: I like Laguna Beach too. I have never see the Hills but I will certainly check it out.

Ashley (California, USA): Nate, I read that your favorite show is the Simpsons. Did you like the Simpsons movie that came out this summer? I thought it was really funny. I hope that they make some more movies.
Nate: I have wanted to see that since it came out but I have not gotten to the movies to catch it yet. I am very excited about it though and I hope they continue to make more movies.

Donald (Minnesota, USA): What are your names short for Meg and Nate?
Meg: Meghan
Nate: Nathaniel

Rebecca (Utah, USA): What are three words you can use to describe yourself? Also, what are three words that you would use to describe your partner?
Meg: I would use driven, determined, fun loving and kind to describe myself. I would say that Nate is definitely driven and determined. He is also someone who knows what he wants.
Nate: For me I would pick committed, passionate, persevering. For Meg, I would pick talented, committed, knows what she wants.

Jamie (Arizona, USA): Meg and Nate, thank you for taking the time out to answer questions from your fans. Is there anything that you would like to add?
Meg: I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to ask us these questions it was fun answering them and to thank you all for your kind words. It is so nice to know that there are so many people who are supporting and routing for us.
Nate: All I can say is that I look forward to answering more of your questions but most of all to a wonderful skating season. Thank you.

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For more information on Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay, visit their official Web site Byrne and Bartholomay Online at www.figureskatersonline.com/byrne-bartholomay/.

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