1/17/03
It was the program they had waited two years to do. Tonight in the championship pairs short program at the 2003 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn ticked off the elements to their "Heartbreak Hotel" program, leaving the other teams far behind. "We did feel very confident. It felt easy," Dulebohn said. "I tried to feed off that confidence. We had a really difficult time doing [the short program well] in the Grand Prix season. We did two of our three long programs clean, but we always seemed to have trouble with the short early in the season. I was really happy we went out there and stuck it like I know we can do."

With three-time pairs champions Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman retired from eligible competition, Scott and Dulebohn were heirs apparent to the pairs throne, having finished second the last three seasons.

"I feel like I have a responsibility to do well, but not a pressure," Scott said. "It kind of relaxed me. Today, all day, I felt really relaxed, and I think I've finally figured out how to do that."

After nailing their side-by-side triple toes and a flowing throw triple Salchow, Scott and Dulebohn showed polish and maturity in their other elements. The spiral sequence had flair. The overhead lift was held longer than the other teams. With the technical elements under control, the performance level reached new heights.