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Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski of Grosse Pointe and Ann Arbor, Mich., are the U.S. Champions and finished 12th at the World Championships |
Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski
Birth Date May 31, 1986 and November 12, 1984 |
| Hometown Grosse Pointe, Michigan and Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Training Town Canton, Michigan |
| Home Club Arctic FSC and Arctic FSC |
| Coach Johnny Johns |
| Choreographer Marina Zoueva |
Before taking the ice for the free skate at the 2007 U.S. Championships, Brooke Castile listened to her favorite The Rolling Stones song—the one she calls her theme.
"You can't always get what you want / But if you try sometimes, you get what you need," she heard before taking the ice. Castile and Benjamin Okolski became the 2007 U.S. Champions less than an hour later.
"It was everything we wanted to do today, and we skated nice and strong," Castile said following their free skate last year. "It felt great to skate like that at nationals. It's like my dream, it felt really good."
Castile and Okolski hope to relive the dream in St. Paul.
An injury to Castile's foot earlier this season has prevented the Detroit area skaters from enjoying their reign as national champions. The pair withdrew from the Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard, and they have only competed twice following their victory at the U.S. Championships.
Castile and Okolski finished fifth at the Four Continents Championship before placing 12th at the World Championships—where Castile skated on "autopilot" after coming down with the flu prior to the short program.
In St. Paul, the pair will debut their short program to the music of L'Arena by Ennio Morricone, which is featured on the movie soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume 2, and their free skate selections from Sheherazade. Castile designed the costumes for both programs.
Off the ice, Castile and Okolski share a passion for music.
"I listen to a lot of rock music including classic like The Doors, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. I love blues, like Eric Clapton and B.B. King," Okolski said. "I'm learning to play the guitar. I used to play the piano and the viola. I'm looking to get back to playing the piano."
Castile lists her favorite bands as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
For more information on Castile and Okolski, visit figureskatersonline.com/castile-okolski/.
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.