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Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay of Blue Bell and Abington, Pa., are the Eastern Sectional silver medalists in junior pairs |
Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay
Birth Date March 18, 1991 and May 18, 1989 |
| Hometown Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and Abington, Pennsylvania |
| Training Town Newark, New Jersey |
| Home Club University of Delaware FSC and University of Delaware FSC |
| Coaches Vicki Helgenberg, Brian Helgenberg and Ron Ludington |
| Choreographer Donna Helgenberg |
A podium finish is what Eastern Sectional silver medalists Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay are aiming for when they make their second consecutive appearance in the junior pairs event at the U.S. Championships in St. Paul.
But it has been a challenging season for Byrne and Bartholomay. In the Junior Grand Prix debut in Lake Placid, N.Y., the pair finished ninth after letting their nerves get the best of them. "I learned that I needed to skate just like it was practice and to have fun doing what I love," Byrne said in an October interview with Figure Skaters Online.
They lost their Eastern Sectional Championship by finishing second in November. Last year, Byrne and Bartholomay won the title to advance to the U.S. Championships, where they took sixth in their first year as juniors. They were fourth in the 2006 novice event.
Byrne and Bartholomay hope to turn their season into a career best with solid skates to The Earth Dance in short program and Finlandia free skate, which they also used last year. "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," the team said.
Off the ice, Byrne is a high school student who enjoys volunteering with the Special Olympics program, which allows her to pass on her knowledge to athletes who are learning to skate. She also enjoys hanging out with her friends and going to the beach.
Bartholomay enjoys playing basketball, baseball and football, although he is no longer able to play sports competitively because of his other commitments. He played baseball for nine years and soccer for seven before focusing on skating. He has his black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
For more information on Byrne and Bartholomay, visit figureskatersonline.com/byrne-bartholomay/.
Figure Skaters Online's Guide to the 2008 U.S. Championships is
written and produced by Figure Skaters Online in cooperation with the athletes and staff.
Photographs are courtesy of Leah Adams unless otherwise noted.
Photo of Meg Byrne and Nate Bartholomay courtesy of Daphne Backman.