By John RittenhouseThe Blue Mound Figure Skating Club opened the 2005-06 season over the weekend.Fourteen members of the program tested their skills at the New Ulm Skating Competition Saturday and Sunday.The debut was successful for the Luverne group, which placed third in team competition and captured eight event championships.Three of Luverne’s titles came in couples competition.Tommy McCarthy and Shelby Kingery took top honors in couples spotlight high, Brianna McCarthy and Gretchen Schneekloth won title at a different level of spotlight couples high competition, and Lindsay Rust and Courtney Thompson produced a title in couples spotlight low.Briana Erickson secured a pair of titles at the Freestyle 2 level.Erickson’s wins came in the stroking and compulsory events.Kynzie Smedsrud also captured a Freestyle 2 title by taking top honors in spotlight entertainment.Tommy McCarthy and Katie Shearer earned individual championships at the Freestyle 4 and Freestyle 6 levels respectively.McCarthy gained top honors in spotlight light entertainment. Shearer won the interpretive title.Here is a look at the rest of the places secured by the local skaters during the New Ulm event.Beta: Lexi Rust, sixth in stroking.Alpha: Brooke Thompson, sixth in stroking.Freestyle 2: Katie Ailts and Erika Rust place second in couples low spotlight and jump and spin medium; Kingery, third in compulsory and stroking, fourth in program and interpretive; Smedsrud, second in stroking, third in compulsory and fifth in interpretive; Erickson, third in interpretive and fifth in spotlight light entertainment.Freestyle 3: Brianna McCarthy, second in jump and spin with Schneekloth and fourth in spotlight light entertainment; Lindsay Rust second in jump and spin with Courtney Thompson; Courtney Thompson, third in interpretive, fourth in compulsory, fifth in program and second in jump and spin with Lindsay Rust.Freestyle 4: Tommy McCarthy, second in compulsory, fourth in interpretive, fifth in footwork; Schneekloth, second in compulsory and spotlight dramatic, third interpretive, sixth in program and footwork.Freestyle 5: Shannon DeBoer, second in footwork, fourth in compulsory and interpretive, fifth in spotlight light entertainment, sixth in program.Freestyle 6: Shearer, second in compulsory and spotlight light entertainment.
