Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate Bartholomay ... - Susan L Field

Q&A with Erika Choi Smith and Nate
Bartholomay, special guest performers at this
year’s Penn State Ice Show
By Susan Field
Though they’ve only been skating together for nine months, Erika Choi Smith and Nathan
Bartholomay are already national pairs competitors and appeared as special guest performers at
Penn State’s annual Ice Show on April 24 and 25. This year’s theme, “Whim-sicle” a magic
carpet ride through fantasy and fun, was a farewell for Penn State’s senior skaters and also a
showcase for the skaters from private and group lessons, skating clubs, Penn State kinesiology
students, and members from the Penn State hockey teams.
Choi Smith and Bartholomay, both 19, from Newark, DE, and Newtown, PA, respectively, were
excited to be asked to perform in the show in Happy Valley—a place they had never been. “We
got to explore campus and the main street downtown, which was very lively due to the
Blue/White Game,” Choi Smith says. “The campus is beautiful. We got to go to the famous
Creamery for ice cream right after we finished the last ice show and we both agreed it was
incredibly delicious!”
The skaters train at the University of Delaware, former training site of 2006 World Champion,
Kimmie Meissner. They are coached by Jeff DiGregorio, Ron Ludington, and Brian Helgenberg.

DiGregorio formerly trained Olympic Champions Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes when they
were in the novice and junior ranks.
Town&Gown reporter Susan Field recently caught up with Choi Smith and Bartholomay to
reflect on their time in Happy Valley, talk about their skating careers, future goals, and how they
think Joe Paterno would do on skates.
1. Field: How many years have you been skating?
Choi Smith: I’ve been skating for 12 years.
Bartholomay: I have been skating for 11 years and I have been doing pairs for six.
2. Field: How did you get into ice skating, and what made you want to skate pairs?
Choi Smith: I first saw Michelle Kwan at the 1996 World Championships, where she
won her first World Title. After that performance I knew I wanted to skate. She
completely entranced me with her program to Salome and as soon as she finished and
received a standing ovation I was like, “I want a moment like that!”
What made me want to skate pairs? Honestly, I just loved it as soon as I tried it. My
previous coach just threw me into it because she figured that it would improve my singles
skills and that I would have some fun. One of the best things about skating pairs was
actually coming to the realization that it was very comforting to have someone share the
ice and limelight with you, as well as all the perks of being hiked up in the air and or
catapulted across the ice. It gives you a rush!
Bartholomay: I started skating when I was 8 years old. My sister (Jamie Bartholomay)
was a skater. I became acquainted with pairs when I was 13. My first partner called my
coach for a tryout and I gave it a whirl. After that I was hooked and continued to pursue
both singles and pairs.
3. Field: What’s your favorite aspect of pairs skating and what’s your favorite pairs
move?
Choi Smith: My favorite aspect of pairs skating is first of all, having a wonderful partner.
The second is creating a connection between ourselves; one that we can emit hopefully
back to the judges and the audience. It’s acting without words. My favorite element of
pairs skating would be throws. When you nail a throw it is like hitting a home run, you’re
definitely like, “Yeah!”
Bartholomay: My favorite aspect of pairs skating is the start of a new season because
that’s the time when we work on all new lifts! I love to help come up with new and
interesting lifts that no one has ever done. I also really like choreographing new steps and
connections for our programs. My favorite move would have to be the throws. It’s such a
good feeling to “fling” your partner into the air and know that she is going to land safely.

4. Field: What do you think sets you apart from other pairs skaters?
Choi Smith: I think what sets us apart from other pairs is our connection and our audience
appeal. I hope we convey how much fun pair skating is and that we are fearless. We have
not been together long enough to have a signature style but I think we have great line and
a good feel for what audiences like, and have an athletic, sexy quality.
5. Field: Which skaters inspire you and why?
Choi Smith:
Pairs: Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov, Xue Shen / Hongbo Zhao, Elena
Berezhnaya / Anton Sikharulidze, Tatiana Totmyanina / Maxim Marinin, Tiffany Scott
/Philip Dulebohn.
Men: Alexei Yagudin, Ilia Kulik, Johnny Weir, and Patrick Chan.
Ladies: Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, Yu-Na Kim, and Kimmie Meissener.
Dance: Maxim Staviski / Albena Denkova, Angelika Krylova / Oleg Ovsyannikov, and
Meryl Davis / Charlie White.
Bartholomay:
Pairs: Shen/Zhao, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze.
Men: Yagudin, Evgeny Plushenko, Disuke Takahashi.
Ladies: Kimmie Meissner, Yu-Na Kim.
Dance: Davis/White, Denkova/Staviski.
Tiffany Scott and Phillip Dulebohn still coach at the University of Delaware and it is
wonderful having them around. They always are passing on knowledge to us and always
have the time to talk.
6. Field: How many days a week do you train and for how many hours?
Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: We usually train five days a week, Monday through Friday.
We spend about two to two and a half hours on the ice, a half hour off-ice doing lifts, and
another hour working out with either our trainer, Kat Arbor, or in the gym.
7. Field: Are you currently in school or pursuing any endeavors outside of skating?

Choi Smith: I just finished my freshman year as a biology major at Widener University
(in Chester, Pa). Outside of skating I generally work and teach at the rink and also go to
kick boxing classes as a hobby.
Bartholomay: I took the last past year off from school to focus on skating full time, but I
plan on going to Widener University part time next semester for physical therapy.
Outside of the rink I have a part-time job at American Eagle Outfitters and I do
landscaping on the weekends for neighbors. I also enjoy playing with my dog, Libby, and
playing basketball as a hobby.
8. Field: What did you perform in the Penn State ice show?
Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: We preformed our short program for this year’s competitive
season, Punch Drunk Love by Jon Brion, and The Prayer by Josh Groban.
9. Field: What did you enjoy most about being guest performers in the show?
Choi Smith: Everyone involved was so nice and accommodating. We felt right at home.
It is always great to make new friends. The facility was beautiful and the show was very
professional. I particularly enjoyed the music and costumes to the group number “Happy
Feet.” It made me smile and I told Nate that I needed one of those costumes!
Bartholomay: I agree with Erika: everyone was VERY nice and accommodating and we
really did feel right at home. It was really special being the “featured” skaters in the show
because we have never done that before. We had people come and ask for autographs! It
was a whole new level of support that we had not experienced.
10. Field: While you were in town, I know you participated in a skating clinic at Penn
State for skaters in the community. How did you like teaching?
Choi Smith: The seminar was great! You can always learn new things about skating
from everyone you meet. It was fun to teach the students but we always come away with
new ways to think about our skating as well. That is what makes this sport so exciting.
Everyone views things differently and you learn from each other.
11. Field: What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you during your skating
career?
Choi Smith: There are a multitude of strange things that have happened during my
skating career, but the one at the top of my strange occurrences was when last year I
broke my foot. I was actually doing a throw and came down and pierced my blade right
through my metatarsal. It was on April first, believe it or not! In fact, when I called my
Mom to tell her that I was at the hospital, she hung up on me in disbelief because she
thought I was playing an April Fool’s joke on her! It was quite terrible-- not because of
surgery or pain-- but because I had just received an invitation to an international
competition in Canada the day before. Fortunately I had a great doctor who got me

epaired, I took my Senior Ladies test, and Jeff DiGregorio trained me in a little less than
two months to prepare. I came in third. On top of all that, it was also about the time
when Nate and I decided to go for it and skate together too!
Bartholomay: I’m not going to answer-- Erika’s story was too epic!
12. Field: If you could ever participate on a Skating with the Celebrities show, who
would you want to be paired with?
Choi Smith: Skating with celebrities would be pretty cool if I were paired with Zach
Braff from Scrubs, because he is a really cool dude who would be so much fun to skate
with, I’m pretty sure. Or Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., also known as “Synyster Gates,” the
lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold, because he is a wicked guitarist and I’m a fan.
Bartholomay: Jessica Alba-- she’s super hot.
13. Field: What are your skating career goals?
Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: Our career goal for skating is to go as far as we can take
ourselves. Wherever that may be, we’ll push ourselves to the limit. We think we have
things in clear perspective and we’re very optimistic that we are going to go far.
14. Field: What are your plans for after your skating careers?
Choi Smith: After skating, my major career goal is to be in medicine, become a doctor,
and ultimately be a reconstructive surgeon for Operation Smile.
Bartholomay: After I finish skating, I definitely want to continue with coaching. I really
enjoy working with the learn-to-skate kids. It would be a major accomplishment to one
day train a team like Erika and myself.
15. Field: How do you think Penn State’s football coach, Joe Paterno, would do on
skates?
Choi Smith/ Bartholomay: Joe Paterno would probably do just fine on skates, but we
would persuade him to get the whole team on the rink for support! I think he would
approve of pairs skating since he is all about team work!