Brevard County figure skaters set to compete for spot in 2023 U.S. Pairs Finals
During the weekend of Sept. 8-10, Brevard County figure skaters Camryn Pinero and Kane Crabbe will travel to New York City to compete for a spot in the U.S. Pairs Finals.
The event is a part of the U.S. Figure Skating National Qualifying Series. In order for pairs to earn a spot in the U.S. finals, they must compete in a qualifying competition like the one Pinero and Crabbe will attend in New York City.
Crabbe is a Florida Virtual student while Camryn Pinero attended DeLaura Middle School last year.
Prior to skating as a pair, Crabbe, 17, had been individually skating for seven years. Pinero, 13, started her skating career three years ago, learning under the coaches at Rockledge's Space Coast Iceplex. The duo currently trains there.
The figure skaters began training for pair skating after one of their coaches, Jeremy Hileman, asked Crabbe if he'd be interested in training for pairs because it would benefit him since he has future aspirations to pursue a career in show skating. Jeremy and the pair's other coach, Ryan Hileman, are both former Disney on Ice skaters.
Pinero's mother, Rebecca, said that when looking for a partner the coaches had Crabbe and Pinero practice a few times as a pair. They eventually had an official try-out and started skating as a pair in July of 2021.
This year, the pair has competed in Orlando at the Florida Open Figure Skating Championships in April and Rebecca said both she and Crabbe's mother, Katherine, were ecstatic after the pair's performance.
"We were incredibly proud of them, especially knowing how much time it had taken," Rebecca said. "They were nervous but excited to get that done and move one to getting ready for New York. Both of us as moms were extremely proud."
Before heading off to New York City later in the year, the pair will compete at an event in Tampa on July 15.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard figure skaters to compete for spot in U.S. Pairs Finals
