Local ice dancer Tabatha Tarafa has qualified for the 2012 National Solo Dance Championships to be held Sept. 20-23 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Tarafa will be in the solo free dance event at the novice level.
In order to qualify for this national championship, Tarafa spent this past summer competing in the United States Figure Skating Association’s National Solo Dance Series, Eastern Division, in order to accumulate enough points to qualify. These competitions took her to Atlanta, Ga.; Baltimore, Md.; Princeton, N.J.; Lake Placid, N.Y.; and Hershey, Pa. By finishing the series in the top six in the east, she received an invitation to compete in the championships.
At the championships Tarafa will compete against the other top skaters from the east, as well as the top skaters from the Pacific and Midwest divisions. She trains at Palm Beach Skatezone on Lake Worth Road at Florida’s Turnpike. She is coached by Dylan Fieldhouse and choreographer Sherry Tautiva.
Tarafa is 12 years old, lives in western Lake Worth near Wellington and is homeschooled through Florida Virtual School in order to accommodate her training schedule.
Above: Tabatha Tarafa
