Brooke, Ben end season with 11th place finish at Worlds

March 18, 2008 — Brooke and Ben improved one spot from their first World Championship apperance last year. At the 2008 World event in Gothenburg, Sweden, they placed 12th in the short program and 11th in the free skate to take 11th overall with 146.03 total points.

The pair started their free skate with a triple twist before going on to land a throw triple Salchow. Like the short program, Brooke singled planned side-by-side double axels before they landed side-by-side double-double combinations. Brooke and Ben also landed a throw triple loop.

Brooke and Ben in 12th after World Championship short program

March 18, 2008 — Brooke and Ben are in 12th place after the short program at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. The team finished with 49.59 points.

In their short program, the pair started with a triple twist and performed a throw triple Salchow, which Brooke landed with her hand down. The pair also attempted side-by-side double Axels but she singled hers. Brooke and Ben completed clean side-by-side spins, footwork, a lift and death spiral.

"It was definitely the worst short we've done all year," she said. "I don't feel we're the most prepared for this competition so, for me, it's a huge let down. I'm not very happy."

Brooke has been injured since the beginning of the season. After withdrawing from three international events in the fall, the season debut for the pair came at the national championships in January.

"My whole left side basically from my back down is injured," Castile said. "It shouldn't affect me but the experience of competition is lacking. It's not really here this season. My jumps aren't as good as they should be right now."

Brooke, Ben win first ISU medal at Four Continents

February 14, 2008 — Brooke and Ben won the bronze medal at the Four Continents Championships by scoring 159.99 points. It's their first medal from an International Skating Union event.

In their 103.55 point free skate, Brooke and Ben started with a huge triple twist and a throw triple Salchow. Brooke singled their side-by-side double Axels but the pair went on to land side-by-side double flip-double toe combinations. Brooke and Ben also performed a throw triple loop.

Their next competition is the World Championships in March.

Brooke, Ben in fourth at Four Continents

February 13, 2008 — Brooke and Ben made their first international apperance of the season by finishing fourth in the short program at the Four Continents Championships in Goyang City, Korea. They finished with 56.44 points.

They started their performance with a triple twist before landing a throw triple Salchow. Brooke singled their side-by-side double Axels, which they had trouble on at the U.S. Championships, but the pair recovered with strong lifts, spins and a step sequence.

Brooke, Ben win bronze and head to Four Continents and Worlds

January 26, 2008 — After sitting out the beginning of the season because of injuries, Brooke and Ben finished third in free skate at the U.S. Championships to claim the bronze medal with 175.07 points.

"I think this is the best we could've done in this type of atmosphere and in this situation," Brooke said. The team made their season debut at the nationals after withdrawing from Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard.

The pair started their new Scherezade program with a triple twist and went on to include a throw triple Salchow, side-by-side double Axels, double flip-double toe combinations and a throw triple loop for 58.42 points for elements.

"We held onto everything and really fought for the program," Ben said.

Winning the bronze medal helped Brooke and Ben claim a spot on the Four Continents and World Championship teams. Four Continents is Feb. 11-17 in Goyang City, Korea, while Worlds are March 17-23 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Brooke and Ben were fifth at last year's Four Continents and 12th at Worlds.

Brooke, Ben third after U.S. Championships short program

January 23, 2008 — After almost a year away from serious competition, Brooke and Ben returned to the ice Wednesday with a third place finish in the short program at the U.S. Championships. They earned 58.95 points after both botched the landings of their side-by-side double Axels.

"We're not completely thrilled with the program, but I thought it was good for the first time out," Brooke said. "Obviously, we made a big mistake. I'm happy but not thrilled."

Last year, the team finished third in the short program at nationals before becoming U.S. Champions for the first time.

Win an autographed copy of Vital magazine

January 20, 2008 — The U.S. Championships kicked off today with the novice and junior events in St. Paul, Minn. Brooke and Ben get their first chance to skate this season on Wednesday with the short program while the free skate is Friday.

Figure Skaters Online is giving away one autographed copy of Vital magazine signed by Brooke and Ben. To enter, fans must go to figureskatersonline.com/08uschampionships/ and figure out a secret number using clues about Brooke, Ben and other Figure Skaters Online athletes.

Brooke and Ben withdraw from Trophee Eric Bompard

October 31, 2007 — Brooke, Ben and the U.S. Figure Skating Association announced today that the pair has withdrawn from their second Grand Prix event this season, Trophee Eric Bompard, because of her foot injury.

The pair also withdrew earlier this month from Skate America. Last month, Brooke and Ben skipped the the Nebelhorn Trophy, which was scheduled to be their first event of the season, also because of the injury.

With the team no longer on the Grand Prix series, Brooke and Ben are scheduled to defend their national title at January's U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn., in their opening event of the season.

Brooke and Ben withdraw from Skate America

October 23, 2007 — Brooke, Ben and the U.S. Figure Skating Association announced today that the pair has withdrawn from their Grand Prix event this season, Skate America, because of an injury. The pair also withdrew last month from the Nebelhorn Trophy, which was scheduled to be their first event of the season.

The pair is now scheduled to start the season at Trophee Eric Bompard, Nov. 15-18, in Paris, France. After the Grand Prix series, Brooke and Ben are scheduled to defend their national title at the U.S. Championships in St. Paul, Minn., in January.

Further information on the extent of the injury will be posted when it becomes available.

Brooke and Ben withdraw from the Nebelhorn Trophy

September 18, 2007 — Brooke, Ben and the U.S. Figure Skating Association announced today that the pair has withdrawn from their first international event this season, the Nebelhorn Trophy, because of an injury.

Also, the pair will not skate at an Evening with Champions in Boston.

Further information on the extent of the injury will be posted when it becomes available. Last season, the pair won the silver medal at the Midwestern Sectional Championships and the gold at the U.S. Championships despite Brooke's injured ankle.

The U.S. Champions are now scheduled to make their first international appearance of the season at Skate America, Oct. 25-28, in Reading, Pa. Brooke and Ben will also compete at Trophee Eric Bompard, Nov. 15-18, in Paris, France.

Brooke and Ben headed to the Nebelhorn Trophy

June 28, 2007 — The U.S. Figure Skating Association announced today that Brooke and Ben will compete in a third international event, the Nebelhorn Trophy, this fall before skating at their Grand Prix events.

The Nebelhorn Trophy is scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 in Obertsdorf, Germany. Shortly after, Brooke and Ben will head to Reading, Penn., for Skate America before taking the ice in Paris, France, for Trophee Eric Bompard.

Brooke and Ben earn their first solo cover of Skating magazine

June 15, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are featured on the cover of the June/July 2007 issue of Skating magazine, the official publication of the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

It is the first time that the team has appeared solo on the cover of the magazine. In March, Brooke and Ben appeared on the cover along with the other 2007 U.S. Champions.

Skating is not available on newsstands. For information on ordering a copy of the magazine or to read an excerpt from the cover story about Brooke and Ben, please visit the magazine site at www.usfigureskating.org/Magazine.asp.

Brooke and Ben select La'arena, Sheherazade for new program music

June 14, 2007 — When Brooke and Ben compete for the first time on the Grand Prix circuit as reigning U.S. Champions, the team will have both a new short program and a new free skate.

Brooke and Ben selected "L'Arena" by Ennio Morricone, which is featured on the movie soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume 2, for their short program. It is the second time the pair has skated to music from a movie soundtrack, with the first being last season's Requiem for a Dream free skate.

For their free skate next season, Brooke and Ben will skate to selections from Sheherazade. The music was written by famous Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888.

Brooke is in the process of designing the costumes for both programs.

Brooke and Ben headed to Skate America, Trophee Eric Bompard

June 8, 2007 — Brooke and Ben received two assignments on the Grand Prix circuit for the upcoming season.

The U.S. Champions will make their first Grand Prix appearance of the season at Skate America, Oct. 25-28, in Reading, Pa. It's their first time skating at the event.

Brooke and Ben will also compete at Trophee Eric Bompard, Nov. 15-18, in Paris, France. In 2005, the team finished sixth at the event.

Brooke and Ben nominated for Readers' Choice Award

May 23, 2007 — For the first time in their careers, Brooke and Ben are among the nominees for the Readers' Choice Eligible Skater of the Year Award, an award given annually by Skating magazine, the official publication of U.S. Figure Skating.

Figure skating fans can vote for the 2007 Readers' Choice Eligible Skater of the Year Award nominees through July 10 by logging onto usfigureskating.org. The winner will be announced in the August/September issue of Skating.

The winner of the Readers' Choice Eligible Skater of the Year Award will receive the Michelle Kwan Trophy, a crystal sculpture designed by Crystal Signatures of Pennsylvania, at an event next fall. The trophy was named for Kwan after she won her seventh Readers' Choice Award in 2003.

Brooke and Ben answer questions from kids

May 15, 2007 — Brooke and Ben answer's to 10 questions from kids appear in the pages of the May issue of Skating magazine, produced by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

Questions include "What do you consider the scariest or most dangerous move in pairs skating" and questions about winning nationals, choreographing programs and the 2010 Olympics. Brooke also answered a question about her hair.

To read all the questions and answers, please visit the "Kids' Questions" section of the Skating magazine Web site at usfsa.org/Magazine.asp?id=57&issue=38629.

Brooke and Ben named to Team Envelope 'A'

May 10, 2007 — Brooke and Ben were named to the U.S. Figure Skating Association's team envelope 'A' for the upcoming season, based on their win at the 2007 U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

Although the team envelopes are not used to determine international assignments, the envelopes—A, B, C and reserve—decide the amount of funding an athlete or team receives from the USFS.

'Gold is the goal' for Brooke and Ben

April 17, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are the subject of the Vital Magazine cover story "Gold is the Goal," which profiles them as front runners for the 2010 Olympics.

The story explores the special relationship that helps Brooke and Ben stay focused on their goal of medal winning performances like the ones they skated at the 2007 U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash.

"We not only get along, but we have a lot in common, like music tastes," Brooke said in the story. "We have a deep respect for each other. We're in it for the long run."

Fans can read "Gold is the Goal" on the Vital Magazine Web site www.vitalmichigan.com.

The magazine, which is distributed inside the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News newspapers, is guide to family health and fitness in Southeast Michigan.

Brooke and Ben close out the season in Reading, Pa.

April 6, 2007 — Brooke and Ben bid farewell to their most successful season yet by skating two exhibitions in the season ending Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Showcase in Reading, Pa.

For their first performance, the pair skated a modified version of their competitive short program to the music of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." The pair also skated to a medley of James Brown music.

Both programs combined crowd-pleasing moves like head-banger spins, one-handed lifts and throw jumps with innovative choreography to music not traditionally used in skating.

The showcase will air April 14 on ABC.

Brooke and Ben to perform at Champions on Ice in Detroit

April 3, 2007 — Brooke and Ben have been invited to perform at the Champions on Ice tour in Detroit, Mich., on Friday, April 20.

The pair plans to skate their new program, which is to a medley of James Brown music.

Brooke and Ben join an accomplished cast of skaters that includes Olympic silver medalists Sasha Cohen and Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, who also train at the Arctic Edge, as well as all three men's medalists from the 2007 U.S. Championships.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show at Joe Louis Arena are currently on sale for $15 to $155. For more information on tickets, visit www.championsonice.com.

Kids, ask Brooke and Ben a question

April 2, 2007 — The U.S. Figure Skating Association is now taking kids' questions for Brooke and Ben for an upcoming issue of Skating magazine, the official publication of U.S. Figure Skating.

The deadline to submit questions is April 9th. To submit your question for the team, visit usfsa.org/Magazine.asp?id=133.

Brooke and Ben finish 12th overall in their first appearance at Worlds

March 21, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are now veterans of the World Championships after finishing their first appearance in 12th place with 139 overall points.

"We obviously gained some experience in skating a good short program," Ben said Wednesday. "Unfortunately, we didn't really repeat it in the long."

In the free skate, the pair performed a triple twist but had difficulty on their throw triple Salchow, their triple triple loop and their side-by-side jumps.

But the pair is taking away more than a top 15 finish.

"You learn a lot just from being here and seeing all the other teams and how they deal with the pressure and how they get through a World competition," Okolski said.

Brooke and Ben finish 14th in Worlds short

March 20, 2007 — Brooke and Ben finished 14th in the short program at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, even with Brooke coming down with the flu shortly before the competition.

"I have the stomach flu pretty bad, and I have a fever, too, but it was my goal to get through that program and compete," Brooke said after the performance. "Since this is our first Worlds it's important that we get seen. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and get through the long program. I'm happy with the way I skated. I went on autopilot and did the best I could."

It was Brooke's decision to compete despite her illness.

"It was 100 percent her decision – the way she felt," Ben said. "She knew that we both wanted to come in and make an appearance at our first Worlds so we could make an impression. It was completely 100 percent up to her. None of us were going to push her to do something she wasn't able to do."

In their first World Championship appearance, and the first pairs program of the overall competition, Brooke and Ben performed a throw triple twist and a throw triple Salchow. The team also landed side-by-side double Axels.

"I definitely was trying to make sure that I was as strong as I could be at every point of the program for her, but it was pretty much business as usual," he said. "I was just trying to make sure that I kept everything the same so she didn't have to change anything."

The team has 54.51 points heading into the Wednesday free skate. Brooke and Ben are 2.49 out of tenth place, which is currently held by Olympic silver medalists Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang.

Brooke and Ben open their official Web site

March 18, 2007 — With two days until the start of the pairs competition at the World Figure Skating Championships, Brooke and Ben have opened their official Web site, Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski Online.

Stay tuned to the Web site for the latest news from the World Championships. Also coming soon are behind the scenes photos from Brooke and Ben's competitions as well as an inside look to the world of the U.S. Champions with exclusive journal entries.

Brooke and Ben first to skate in Worlds short program

March 18, 2007 — Brooke and Ben drew the starting position for the pairs short program on Tuesday, March 20, at the World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

The pair does not favor skating first. But at the 2004 U.S. Championships, where they finished second overall in junior pairs, the pair was first to skate in the short program, which they won.

The pairs free skate is Wednesday, March 21.

Brooke and Ben featured on the cover of Skating

March 5, 2007 — Brooke and Ben, along with the U.S. Champions in ladies, men's and ice dancing, are featured on the cover of the March 2007 issue of Skating magazine, produced by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

It is the first time the team has appeared on the cover of Skating, which is the official publication of U.S. Figure Skating.

Skating is not available on newsstands. For information on ordering a copy of the magazine, please visit the magazine site at www.usfigureskating.org/Magazine.asp.

Grosse Pointe Woods to celebrate Brooke Castile Day

March 4, 2007 — Brooke Castile will be honored on Wednesday, March 21, the day of the pairs free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships, with an official Brooke Castile Day in her hometown of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The official proclamation of Brooke Castile Day is designed to give Brooke more recognition closer to home, where even some of her neighbors are not aware of her competitive accomplishments this season, while she competes at her first World Championship.

Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Showcase to include Brooke and Ben

February 13, 2007 — Brooke and Ben will participate in the Marshalls U.S. Figure Skating Showcase on April 6, at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pa.

Tickets for the showcase go on sale Monday through ticketmaster.com for as low as $15. The tickets can also be purchased at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at (215) 336-2000.

Joining Brooke and Ben in the showcase are all the senior gold, silver and bronze medalists from the recent U.S. Championships as well as Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen. Additional skaters will be added at a later date.

The event will be broadcast on ABC on April 14.

Brooke and Ben finish fifth at Four Continents

February 8, 2007 — Brooke and Ben finished fifth at the Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo., after a fourth place free skate.

In their Requiem for a Dream program, which set a personal best with 104.92 points, the pair performed their signature high-flying split triple twist. They also landed side-by-side double Axels, the most difficult solo jumps in the program.

"We have a lot of work to do to be in that top 10 (at Worlds)," Brooke said. "We want to work on getting that side-by-side triple toe back, and we need to work on our side-by-side spins and our polish."

The team's overall score of 160.04 shattered their previous best international mark of 132.86 from the Cup of Russia competition in November 2005, where they finished eighth.

"It was strong," she also said about the free skate. "It wasn't our best. Some stuff was a little bit sloppier than we would have liked, but given the circumstances and being here and using this competition as a warm-up for Worlds, it was exactly what we wanted to do.

"We definitely want to start building big time from this to go to Worlds and really work on our polish and finishing and side-by-side elements."

Brooke and Ben will make their first appearance at the World Championships next month in Tokyo, Japan. The pairs short program is set for March 20.

Four Continents short program ends with Brooke and Ben in seventh

February 7, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are in seventh place after the short program at the Four Continents Championship, their first competition since becoming the U.S. Champions.

"It isn't any different (competing as U.S. champions)," Brooke said. "It is about the skate and not about the title. We have dealt with the turnaround from nationals really well. We look at this as another experience and something to build on."

Despite having problems on their side-by-side double Axels, she singled hers while he two-footed his landing, Brooke and Ben set a personal best in their Shine on You Crazy Diamond program with 55.12 points.

U.S. Figure Skating selects Brooke and Ben for Worlds, Four Continents

January 28, 2007 — Prior to their exhibition performance at the U.S. Championship in Spokane, Wash., Brooke and Ben were officially named to two spring international teams by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

The team will compete again in two weeks at the Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo. In 2005, Brooke and Ben made their senior international debut by finishing seventh at the event.

The pair will also compete at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this March. It is the first time Brooke and Ben will compete at Worlds.

Brooke and Ben crowned U.S. Champions

January 26, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are the 2007 U.S. Champions.

"It still hasn't sunk in," Ben said.

"This is unbelievable," Brooke said. "It feels great."

Skating to Requiem for a Dream, the eventual champions started strong with a near flawless split triple twist followed by a solid throw triple Salchow, en route to a personal best 118.63 points..

Brooke and Ben, who received only one negative grade of execution, also landed side-by-side double Axel-double toe sequences before nailing a throw triple loop and side-by-side double toe loops.

"It was everything we wanted to do today, and we skated nice and strong," Brooke said. "It felt great to skate like that at nationals. It's like my dream, it felt really good."

It was the best performance the pair has skated all season.

"It's kind of hard to describe because you hope to skate well but it all goes by so fast that you don't pay attention," Ben said. "It just happens and you feel good afterward."

Coach Johnny Johns, who started coaching the team last spring, was surprised the team won the championship despite competition from two-time U.S. Champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, who won silver.

"We were obviously extremely pleased with how they skated," said Johns, who works with choreographer Marina Zoueva. "We figured this was good enough to get a medal. We weren't expecting to get this at all. I am still in shock. Usually this is a two or three year project when you prepare a senior team. We were just trying to lay some groundwork, but they laid it pretty quick."

Johns said he developed a game plan with Brooke and Ben last year.

"They believed in me and I believed in them, and this is like crazy," he said. "They were coming here just trying to get a medal and set the groundwork for next year. They were focused all week. We talked about it last week, just to stay focused that anything can happen, especially with the new system. This is just the beginning for them."

The newly crowned U.S. Champions will likely compete again in two weeks at the Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., as well as the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in March.

Brooke and Ben in medal position after U.S. Championship short program

January 24, 2007 — Brooke and Ben are in third place at the U.S. Championship in Spokane, Wash., after scoring 59.77 points in the short program.

Skating to Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamondthe team executed an excellent a triple twist and throw triple Salchow. But they received negative grade of execution on their side-by-side double Axels after Ben stepped out on the landing.

Despite the minor problems, the skate was an improvement for pair, who finished eighth at the event last year.

Brooke and Ben said a change in coaches to Johnny Johns, who coached Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem to the Olympics last year, has helped the team improve.

They also changed rinks to the Arctic Edge in Canton, Mich.

"It's a lot more comfortable where we are now," Ben said. "We have a lot of skaters who skate at a very high level, and it helps us to train harder and more consistently than we have had in the past."

The pair is also helped by their strong friendship.

"I want people to know that Ben is my best friend and that we are in this for the long haul," said Brooke, who teamed up with Ben following the 2001 Midwestern Sectional Championships.