Preteen hoping to skate toward win at nationals
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK — Lawrence Lung is adding a breath of fresh air to figure skating.

Lung, 12, has been ice skating since he was 4 years old. He is now set to compete for the national title in Lake Placid, New York, this week, for the third year in a row.

The North Brunswick resident recently won the North Atlantic Regional Juvenile Boys title in Jamestown, N.Y., in October, which led him to qualify for nationals. Decked out in an outfit designed by seamstress Svetlana Fakhroutdinov, Lung skated for two-and-a-half minutes to the Yellow River Concerto, a Chinese piece that has been the basis of his skating routine this season, choreographed by Kristine Bingham.

He will now compete in Lake Placid during the qualifying round Dec. 9, and then the championship round Dec. 13.

"I've been working hard and I didn't give up. When I have hard times, I keep on going," Lung said.

In total, Lung has 20 gold, eight silver and four bronze medals, along with other plaques and trophies, since he began skating. He said his mother started him in group lessons back then, and while he tried swimming and gymnastics, he enjoyed skating the most because of the spins and jumps.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Lawrence Lung, 12, of North Brunswick, won the North Atlantic Regional Juvenile Boys Ice Skating title in Jamestown, N.Y., in October and is now competing for the national title in Lake Placid this week.

"I was really good at it and I don't want to give it up," he said.

The Linwood Middle School student trains about two hours each day, six to seven days a week, with his coach Gilles Vanasse, who was a national skater in Canada and a member of the Canadian World Team, and also a former member of the Ice Capades.

Lung learns his new routine from January to April, and then begins the competition season in Maryland in May, competing through the end of the year.

"I don't want to give up or lose my hope, so I keep going on," the seventh-grader said.

He said his favorite jump is the combination double Lutz-double loop because "it makes me feel good, it's the easiest jump, and it's my most comfortable jump." He has been working on the double axel for the past two years and is focusing on spinning faster.

"I like spinning the most because it feels good and I'm most comfortable in it," he said of his level-four spins, the hardest to do.

He is also improving his senior moves, which are difficult edging and moves on the skates. So far, he has passed all eight levels of the test structure for moves per United States Figure Skating Association standards.

The Princeton Skating Club skater is also an honors student with A grades, won the Math Olympiad in the fifth grade, is a good snowboarder, is a Lego collector, and is an accomplished pianist,

Playing the piano since he was four, Lung received the highest distinction mark from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music for musicians in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware area. He also participates every year in the Spring Recital Audition, organized by the New Jersey Music Teacher Association, and was awarded high honors or honors in recognition of performance six consecutive years.

Despite all of his activities, Lung said he has not really missed out on much. At home, he receives the support of his father, Yui, his mother, Connie, and his 8-year-old brother, Eric who competes in gymnastics.

"When I do my homework, I do it in the car," Lung said, noting how he wakes up at 7:30 a.m. for school, goes directly to the Ice Land skating rink in Hamilton after school for practice, plays the piano after dinner and then goes to sleep at 10:30 p.m.

With his inspiration coming from Patrick Chan, a 17-year-old Chinese skater from Canada, Lung said his future goals are to win nationals, be a world champion and to win the Olympics.

"As a student, he's excellent," Vanasse said. "He's extremely bright. He has a good connection between the understanding of his brain and the connection with his physical muscles. That's why he skates so well. He has a great sense of humor, too - he makes me laugh a lot."