Former Duke Student Returns for Sectionals in North Carolina

Lauren Farr and Mac Kern

Nov. 20, 2007
Article & Photo © J. Barry Mittan 

It was a homecoming of sorts for Mac Kern when he and his partner, Lauren Farr, competed in novice pairs at the U. S. Eastern Sectionals in Raleigh, North Carolina in November. Kern, 20, started his university studies as a freshman at Duke University in nearby Durham before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania to skate with Farr, 17.

The couple took the silver medal at Sectionals. "We wanted to put out some strong programs that we could be proud of and qualify for Nationals," Kern said. "We've only been training for two months so this is our building year." "We're learning about ourselves and I'm learning about living away from home," Farr added. "It's a big overall adjustment."

Kern was seventh in novice pairs at Easterns last season with Erica Choi Smith but the couple parted ways after the season. Looking for a new partner, he put up his biography on U. S. Figure Skating's partner search website, where Farr had also posted. After she emailed him, a tryout was arranged in Wilmington. Although the tryout went well, Kern had to decide whether to continue skating or concentrate on his studies. "It took us a while to decide to get together," Kern admitted. "Once I decided not to stop skating, it depended on whether I could get into Penn and that took another two months."

Once he was accepted at the university, the couple decided to relocate to the Skating Club of Wilmington to work with Karl Kurtz, who had coached Kern previously. "We started in August in Sun Valley, working with Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding," Kerr noted, "Anita had always encouraged me to do pairs because I was so little and fearless. Then we moved to Wilmington in late August. We have two pairs and two singles sessions each day, five days a week," Farr said, "plus ballet and physio. That's more skating than I ever had in Idaho."

"We're both starting fresh," Kern noted. "We're learning together and working harder and harder." The couple is doing side-by-side double loops in the short with side-by-side double loops and a double flip-double toe loop combination in the long, plus a throw double salchow and double loop. "The loop is my favorite jump and it makes sense when we're so new to have it in the long if it's required in the short." Kern said.

Irina Romanova choreographed the couple's short program using "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" and "Minnie the Moocher". Jill Cosgrove choreographed the long to the soundtrack from "Spartacus". "Karl wanted a swing theme for the short," Kern explained. "I was apprehensive about it at first but it's a lot of fun. I wanted to do 'Spartacus'. Both of us usually like more classical music like 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker'. I did classical with my previous partners." Off ice Kern listens to alternative rock, while Farr listens to anything.

Kern started out in athletics as a platform diver when he was six, reaching the Junior Olympics twice in the U. S. but nor medalling. He competed in both the one and three-meter springboard events with his favorite dive being an inward two and a half somersault off the three-meter board. At the age of 12, he got into skating by chance when his middle school in Concord, MA had an ice skating program as part of its sports curriculum.

Having watched the 1998 Olympics with Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan, he decided to give it a try. He fell in love with the sport and gave up his diving career. "I had more passion for skating," he said, "and it was a fairly natural transition because of the body awareness I had gained from my years in diving." By 17, he had landed his first triple salchow. Kern first competed in a skating event as a sophomore in high school.

As a late starter, Kern saw his future in pairs rather than in singles skating. He started skating pairs with Chrissie Hughes, but had to withdraw from their first major competition after she fractured vertebrae in her back in a fall. In 2005, he placed sixth in intermediate pairs with Jena Fujimoto before heading off to college and skating with Smith for the 2006-07 season.
Farr, who hails from the small town of Idaho Falls, Idaho, started much earlier when she was only four. "I watched the 1994 Olympics on television and saw Oksana Baiul skate," she said. "I wanted to do that so I started Learn to Skate. The rink in my hometown was only open for five months from November through March, with limited ice time for figure skating. We had three hours each week at 6 am. And it was too cold to do much of anything, about 10 degrees."

"When I was 11, the only coach at our rink moved," she continued. "So I began traveling to Utah or Sun Valley for coaching and ice time, driving 3 hours each way on Saturdays. The past four years I have been spending my summers training in Sun Valley and had the opportunity to be an ensemble skater in the Sun Valley Ice Show the last two years." Even with her limited ice time, Farr was landing her triple salchow at 16.

Farr is a junior in high school taking distance learning classes and independent study courses via the Internet. Her teachers back home also send her lessons for her to do. "Lauren's very strong willed," Kern said. "She makes it work." She plans to attend college but is not sure of a career path yet. Kern is studying international relations. "I don't have a specific place in mind, but I'd like to live and work overseas for five or ten years. Ultimately, I'd like to work for Boeing in international relations."

"I already have my pilot's license," the Seattle-area native continued. "I got it at 17. It's something I've always wanted. I like to fly my family and friends around. I got Jena started on flying when she was my partner, but Lauren hasn't flown with me yet. I also like to travel and do things outdoors like skiing and hiking." "My family are all hardcore into skiing and backpacking," Farr said. "Those are all things it's easy to do out west but not where I am now." She enjoys reading for fun, hanging out with friends and shopping.