PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 15 -- With her right arm in a sling and her fingers bandaged, Angela Nikodinov watched the men's long program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday from a Rose Garden suite.
Nikodinov, who withdrew from the women's competition after she was involved in a taxi accident Wednesday that killed her 48-year-old mother, said she planned to continue in skating but did not elaborate.
Katie Orscher and Garrett Lucash pose with their championship trophy Friday night. The pair won for the first time after placing second the past two years.
(Don Ryan -- AP)
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_____ 2004 Summer Olympics _____
• Look back at the Athens Games, highlighted by Michael Phelps's eight medals and marked by unfounded worries over terrorism.
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She made a brief statement to reporters when she arrived to the arena flanked by two friends, former U.S. ice dancer Naomi Lang and former Bulgarian singles skater Ivan Dinev.
"I just want to thank everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers for my family and [me]," said Nikodinov in her first public comments since the accident. "I look forward to getting back on the ice and being able to perform again. I would just like to have some private time for my family and [me] and after a few days I'll be in a better position to answer all of your questions about the accident.
"I just want to ask for your patience and understanding. I decided to come to the arena today to be there for my friends who have supported me through all of this. I'd just like to be there to do the same for all of them."
The taxi shuttle carrying Nikodinov, her mother Dolores, father Nick and Coach Igor Pashkevich collided with another car while attempting to merge on a highway leading from the airport to downtown Portland. Nikodinov and her father sustained minor injuries. Her coach suffered a fractured bone in his neck and has been hospitalized since the accident. Dolores Nikodinov died instantly after her head hit the road when a window in the van shattered.
Lucash Pulls Through
Garrett Lucash was so ill from a stomach virus earlier this week that he couldn't hold pairs partner Katie Orscher for any of the lifts, yet the two claimed their first national title late Friday night with a largely mistake-free, if not exceptionally dynamic, program.
After finishing second two years in a row, Orscher and Lucash topped 2004 U.S. champions Rene Inoue and John Baldwin, who had wobbles on several elements.
Orscher said Lucash was so ill on Tuesday that she wondered whether they should withdraw. As the pair answered questions after the competition, Lucash sneezed repeatedly.
"Katie really pulled me through this program," he said.
Added Orscher: "I'm proud of him for living through it. If you saw him tonight and last Saturday, you would think they were two different people."
Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem took third, and Tiffany Scott and Silver Spring's Philip Dulebohn finished fourth overall despite finishing third in the long program.
Belmonte Reaches Out
New U.S. Figure Skating executive director Val Belmonte, who joined the organization in October, said he wants to make competitions more appealing by offering more affordable tickets and additional entertainment inside the arenas.
"I want little kids running around the concourse," he said Friday night. "I want families around the arena. They can't afford it right now. . . . We have to think of creative ways to do it."
