SubscribeRobert Seale For the Chronicle
In 2008, Becky Bereswill won the International Skating Union's junior Grand Prix Final as a singles skater.
Having moved from Houston to Michigan to attend college and begin training as a pairs figure skater, Becky Bereswill is learning basics about her new life — lifts, throws and the hard-and-fast rule that, as a University of Michigan freshman, you never, ever utter the words "Ohio State."
Bereswill, 19, who in 2008 won the International Skating Union's junior Grand Prix Final as a singles skater, left her hometown last month to train as a pairs skater with Trevor Young, 22, of Howell, Mich., at the Arctic Ice rink in Canton, Mich., under coach Johnny Johns.
It's a considerable swerve for Bereswill, who planned to attend Rice University after qualifying the past two years for the U.S. Figure Skating national championships but failing to crack the top 10 in senior ladies as she recovered from stress fractures in her back.
"Trevor and Johnny approached me after this season and asked if I would be interested in pairs, and I was open to trying something new," she said. "I love the lifts and throws and spins, and after the tryout I knew it was something I wanted to do."
An honors student at Bellaire Episcopal, where she competed in track and won a gold medal at the Texas Relays, Bereswill was accepted at Michigan, where she intends to study economics, and plans to begin classes this summer.
Ann Arbor, she said, has "that big state school atmosphere. And I'm quickly learning not to talk about that school to the south (Ohio State). You're not even supposed to mention the name."
She faces an intriguing challenge, too, in switching to pairs. At 5 feet 6 inches, she's several inches taller than the average female pairs skater, and she has to learn pairs elements and pass a certification test before she and Young can compete.
"It's difficult at times on lifts to find a balance point," she said. "I have longer legs, which means longer arms and more distance in the lifts. But in some ways, it works to our advantage."
She also is learning pairs skating, especially for women, is not for the faint of heart or frame.
Contact sport
"Lots of bruises," she said, laughing. "But it's really fun. I've never been afraid to try things. I trust my partner. The first time we tried a throw triple I didn't know what to expect, but I landed it on my third try."
Bereswill will continue skating singles, and Johns said her skills as a singles skater made her an attractive partner for Young, a recent Michigan graduate who skated for five years with Andrea Best of Dearborn, Mich., before they ended their partnership this spring.
"We were looking for a girl who could jump," Johns said. "We brought her (to Michigan) for a tryout, and I thought she was the best one. They gelled very quickly, and I think they can make a real splash in pairs."
Arctic Ice is the training base for the dance teams of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada and Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States, who finished 1-2 at the Vancouver Olympics. In addition to Johns, Bereswill will work with coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.
"I think we have something unique to offer," Bereswill said. "We're both pretty strong singles skaters. We have a unique look. We have our sites set on the next Olympics in 2014, and we think we can be one of the top teams in the U.S."
Parting is sweet sorrow
She said it was tough to leave her family, including her twin sister Allison, who attends SMU, and Houston, where she had been coached for 11 years by Megan Faulkner, but is enjoying Michigan's cool spring weather and the chance to skate on the same ice as Olympic medalists.
"In Houston, it was always me skating by myself or with skaters at lower (skill) levels," she said. "There are so many Olympians and world champions here. I had to make a decision on what to do about skating, and when this opportunity came up it was something I couldn't refuse."
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