This is a draft of an article that appeared in the hard copy Australian magazine OzSkater
in the October 2007 edition. The final article may have been edited prior to publication.
Wang Wings Way to World Stage
by J. Barry Mittan
Australia's junior ladies champion for the last two seasons has been Tina Wang, a 15-year-old from Brisbane, who was born in Qiqihar, China and moved to Australia when she was four. Wang was also the Australian novice champion in 2004. She won the bronze medal at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2007 and placed 26th and 31st at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2006 and 2007. She placed 16th at her only ISU Junior Grand Prix in Okaya City, Japan in 2005.
Wang began skating in China when she was four. Her parents, Chang Yuan Wang and Hui Ma, are both coaches so they took her to the ice rink with them. "I didn't like skating at first," Wang said. "I quit and didn't start again until I was seven." Wang landed her first triple toe loop when she was 12 and has landed up to a triple loop. But she had to reduce her training after she suffered a stress fracture in her landing foot. She uses a double lutz-double loop in her short program and adds another double loop to the combination in the long as well as a double axel-double axel sequence.
Her parents coach Wang, who trains at IceWorld in Acacia Ridge near Brisbane, Australia. She usually works on ice for about two hours a day, six days a week. She also tries to work in an hour of off ice training every day.
Hui Ma choreographed her programs for 2006-07. Her new short program was "Song for a Secret Garden". She used the same long program music as last season, "Malaguena" by E. Lecuona. "I was going to do the Nutcracker for the long," she said, "but I didn't like it so I dropped it after Christmas and went back to my old music. I've liked that music since I was little. I remember Maria Butyrskaya skating to it at Worlds." She expects to have new music for 2007-08 but noted, "I like to stick to classical music or music that has a theme." The only gala program music she has used is "Car Wash" for a club show at Christmas with a disco theme.
Wang designs her own costumes, many of which are made by Ann Short. She doesn't sew anything herself. "I try to stay away from all textile activities," she admitted.
Off ice, she enjoys hanging out with friends, shopping, reading novels like the DaVinci Code, dancing and traveling. She started dance classes when she was ten and took ballet until she was 14. Wang's musical tastes include hip-hop and R&B music. "My Mom wanted me to learn piano, but she never bought one," Wang added. She also enjoys watching soccer, tennis and volleyball, but hasn't taken to traditional Australian sports. She also collects teddy bears. "I have really fluffy ones," she said.
Wang is in the 11th grade and is studying math and business organization management. "I want to be a business lawyer," she said. "It probably comes from watching Boston legal on television."
For the 2007-08 season, Wang hopes to get at least two triple jumps in her long program and exceed her personal bests from last season. She hasn't decided whether to compete as a junior or a senior, but plans to continue at least until the 2010 Olympics.
