YARMOUTH — A local student won a silver medal at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships last weekend.

Franz-Peter Jerosch, 14, and his partner, 12-year-old Julia Curran, of Westbrook, took second place in juvenile pairs Jan. 16 at the championships in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are the first Mainers to win a medal at the championships since 2008.

“It was pretty cool,” Jerosch said Monday. “I was really happy.”

The Yarmouth High School freshman has been skating for nine years in pairs, as a single skater, and in ice dancing. He’s been to the national championships four times, and said he is very excited to have won a medal this year.

Curran is a seventh-grade student at St. Brigid School in Portland.

Jerosch and Curran, who are both members of the Falmouth-based North Atlantic Figure Skating Club, earned a score of 40.6 on Saturday, missing the gold medal by 1.77 points. Their routine was performed to a medley from “Man of La Mancha.”

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The pair qualified for nationals when they were awarded a silver medal at the U.S. Eastern Sectional Championships, last Nov. 17-21 in Simsbury, Connecticut. Jerosch said pairs don’t have to compete in regionals prior to sectionals.

Jerosch and Curran began skating together last year. Jerosch said he enjoys skating with Curran, and they work well together because of their strong friendship.

“We’re really good friends,” he said. “We’re like brother and sister.”

While training for the championships, Jerosch said he and Curran practiced five or six days a week, for up to three hours each day. Over the summer they practiced four or five days a week.

The duo practices in Massachusetts, as well as in Falmouth, Portland and Gorham. Twice a week they practice at the Skating Club of Boston, with coaches Bobby Martin and Carrie Wall. In Maine they work with coach Kristen Andrews of Portland.

Jerosch said he and Curran trained hard because they love what they do and really wanted to win.

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“We both have a strong passion for figure skating,” he said. “We both really wanted it. We helped each other.”

Jerosch said he will take some time off now, but intends to start training again soon. He said there are no major competitions until the sectional championships next fall.

When thinking of long-term goals, Jerosch said he has set his sights on making the U.S. national figure skating team, which sends skaters to the Olympics.

“I haven’t thought much about making it to the Olympics yet,” he said, “but I want to.”

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

Franz-Peter Jerosch of Yarmouth and his partner, Julia Curran of Westbrook, won the silver medal for juvenile pairs at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul, Minn., held Jan. 16. (Katie Johnson / For The Forecaster)


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