Staples junior Daniel Innamorati and partner Natalie Taylor: advance to national figure skating championships. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photoStaples High School junior Daniel Innamorati, 16, has claimed second place in the intermediate pairs event at the 2005 North Atlantic Regional Figure Skating Championships held in Buffalo, N.Y.
The placement earned the Westport resident and his partner, Natalie Taylor, 16, of New York City, a trip to the United States Junior National Figure Skating Championships, which will be held in December in Jamestown, N.Y.
This will be Innamoratis fourth trip to the Junior Nationals. The North Atlantic Region covers all of New York and New Jersey and a part of Pennsylvania.
Innamoratil has been competing in figure skating since he was 9. Three years ago, he began skating pairs in addition to menҒs freestyle. Last year, he finished fifth at Junior Nationals in pairs with a former partner.
Natalie and Daniel are a new pair team with high hopes of doing well at the Junior Nationals in December. The pair team trains under the direction of Brad Cox and David Goodman at the Westchester Skating Academy in Elmsford, N.Y.
In addition to their on-ice training, they have an off-ice program consisting of flexibility, aerobic, coordination, and strength training. An accomplished singles skater, Innamorati also trains with coaches Tracy Doyle-Lunde, Teresa Aiello and Tommy Litz.
Daniel is a member of the Skating Club of New York based at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
