October 24, 2005

Hi everyone!

As you all might have gathered from my last journal, I have some very exciting news to share. Starting this season, I will be representing Chinese Taipei. I'm so honored to have been a part of the U.S. international team, and I'd like to thank everyone at the USFS who helped me during my time with them; I'm definitely going to miss competing with that red, white, and blue team jacket on my back!

However, I'm also really looking forward to the new challenges of competing for Taiwan. I've always felt it to be a part of my heritage, as my mother was born and raised there, and I have a large extended family still living there. At the very least this will be a great opportunity to brush up on my Chinese! My first competition will be the Taiwan Nationals in November, a kickoff event to mark the opening of a new state-of-the-art skating arena in Taipei.

As for now, I'm back on the West coast. I've seriously trained everywhere by now: Texas, Massachusetts, Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, and now California. Right now I'm in the L.A./Lake Arrowhead area, trying out new with new coaches. I'd been rooming with Jenny Kirk, who has however recently moved back to Boston. I know she's moving on to be a star in whatever she chooses to do next!

I absolutely love my new short program, which I choreographed myself this year. It's "Stairway to Heaven," so you Led Zeppelin fans will approve! My long program is something I like to call "Journey of Woman." (It's actually called "Journey of Man.") I feel like both conceptually and musically it's a really great piece -- it starts out with a very intense drum section that symbolizes birth, then moves on through a minor-key middle section, then finishes the "cycle of life" with a triumphant crescendo at the end. After laying out the basics of the program, it just so happened that I got a call from my choreographer, Oleg Ovsyannikov, telling me that he was in town, so I fortunately got his collaboration in completing the program.

In the meantime, I really miss skating pairs. I've been practicing pair moves with a few of my friends out here in California, and I've done everything from doing triple throws with a former skater (who was visiting and was using rental skates--and he was a lefty!), to making up lifts with John Zimmerman (who was in town for the shooting of Skating with Celebrities).

So that's about it for now. I'll update again after Nationals.Best Wishes.

Love,
Jennifer

March 9, 2005
Jenny and Jonathon have decided to stop skating together. The USFSA has an article with quotes from Jenny about the split. Jenny will definitely be competing in singles next year, and is looking for a new partner.

January 30, 2005
To catch up on a lot of old news:

• Jenny had to withdraw from the Finlandia Trophy this past fall. She had a stress fracture and had to limit her training time.
• Jenny and Jonathon finished 6th at Nationals earlier this month. They finished 7th at Skate American and 4th at Cup of Russia during the Grand Prix Series.

August 12, 2004
The Finlandia Trophy, in Helsinki on October 7-10, was added to Jenny's schedule. Ad ditionally, the Golden Skate has a new article about Jenny, titled Double Identity for USA's Jennifer Don.

July 28, 2004
Jenny (and Jonathon) have left the University of Delaware. They are currently trying out different facilites and coaches. A new journal entry from Jenny is on its way!

May 23, 2004
Jenny has a new short program for singles. She and Jonathon are training and preparing two new programs for the coming season.

May 9, 2004
USFS named Jenny to Team Envelope C and Don & Hunt to Team Envelope B!

February 28, 2004
Blades on Ice has a new article on Jenny titled "Double Duty." You can read it here.

January 17, 2004
Jennifer Kirk has withdrawn from the Four Continents Champonionships team and first alternate Ann Patrice McDonough has declined her invitation, so Jenny has been named to the team! 4CCs will be held in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada, January 19-25. Good luck, Jenny!

January 11, 2004
Congratulations to Jenny on her 8th place finish at Nationals! She was 8th in the long and moved up from 9th after the short. Also, congratulations to Jenny & Jonathon on their pewter medal (4th place) in Senior Pairs!

January 9, 2004
Jenny is in 9th place after the short program at Nationals. The ladies skate their long programs Saturday evening. Don & Hunt are in 4th place in Senior Pairs; the long programs are tonight. Their short program was aired as part of ESPN2's coverage of Nationals.

November 14, 2003
Jonathon is injured and so D & H have had to withdraw from both of their Grand Prix assignments.

Also, congratulations to Jenny for finishing 6th at the Golden Spin of Zagreb earlier this week! Jenny was 4th in the short and 6th in the long.

September 6, 2003
Congratulations to the 2003 Nebelhorn Trophy Champion, Jennifer Don! Complete results are here.

September 5, 2003
Jenny is currently in 1st place at the Nebelhorn Trophy after the short program! She landed a 3salchow, 3toe loop combination and put her hand down on the 2axel.

Also, there is a quote from Jenny in the 6th installment of the USFSA's "Summer Fun" series.

August 15, 2003
Jenny won the 2003 National Collegiate Championships! She won both the short and long programs. Congratulations Jenny!!

Jenny is quoted in this article regarding her coach, Barbara Roles-Williams and her stolen Olympic medal: Local coach recovers stolen Olympic medal. Also, Jenny's Schedule was updated slightly.

May 24, 2003
Jenny was named to the USFSA's Reserve Team, while Don & Hunt were named to Team A.

March 30, 2003
The Golden Skate has a new article on Don & Hunt.

February 28, 2003
Congratulations to Jenny and Jonathon on their bronze medal at Junior Worlds!

January 18, 2003
Congratulations to Jenny on her 11th place finish at Nationals in senior ladies!

Don & Hunt have been named to the Junior World team.

January 17, 2003
Congratulations to Jenny & Jonathon for finishing 6th in the senior pairs competition!

January 17, 2003
Jenny is in 10th place after the senior ladies short program! Complete results are here. For the free skate, Jenny will skate 13th out of 21 skaters. (Complete skate order here.) For the Championship Pairs Free Skate this evening, D & H will skate 10th out of 16 teams. Good luck, Don & Hunt!

January 16, 2003
Don & Hunt are in 6th place after the short program! They'll are 10th in the free skate order. Best of luck to Jenny in the senior ladies free skate this evening!

January 12, 2003
Jenny will skate 11th out of 21 skaters in the ladies event. (Complete starting order here.) In pairs, Don & Hunt will skate 5th out of 16. (Complete starting order here.)

January 11, 2003
Don & Hunt won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final! The Golden Skate has an article, "Handy & Hunt: One Year Later," which tal ks about Jenny and Jonathon.

December 9, 2002
Jenny wrote a new diary entry about Eastern Sectionals and preparations for the JGPF before leaving for The Hague today.

November 27, 2002
Congratulations to Jenny for being named to the 2003 Chevrolet/USFSA Scholastic Honors Team for the second year in a row! Click here to read the USFSA press release.

November 17, 2002
Congratulations to Jenny for winning two medals at the Eastern Sectionals this past weekend! In senior ladies, Jenny won the silver m edal, and Jenny and Jonathon won the senior pairs event, moving up from fourth after the short program. Congratulations Jenny (and Jonathon)!

November 2, 2002
Congratulations to Jenny and Jonathon for winning the silver medal in the pairs competition at JGP Milan! Combined with their silver medal at JGP Arizona, they have qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final! The Grand Prix Final will be held in The Hague, December 12-15.