Ward's presence is hard to ignore

ST. LOUIS - When Rohene Ward takes to the ice, people notice.

There's the muscular build that would suit a pairs skater more than a singles competitor.

There's the long ponytail.

And, more than anything, there's a fluidity to his skating that, while still somewhat raw, hints of great things to come.

Already 22, Ward hardly is a child in a sport in which athletes sometimes hit their prime as teenagers. His list of achievements is short; he was 16th at last year's U.S. Figure Skating Championships and 14th the year before.

But the Minneapolis native stands out in a practice session, even when the likes of Tim Goebel and Michael Weiss also are on the ice, because of the theatricality that marks his skating.

"Ever since I began teaching him when he was 11, he has had that ability to be a great skater, the way he moved and the persistence he had and his sense of humor on the ice," coach Page Lipe said. "He's very much like an organic skater."

Ward also is a rarity in that he's a black American skater, and he says he's needed patience to work his way toward the elite level of the sport.

"I'm ready now," he vowed, while also saying that the 2010 Olympics are more in his sights than February's Turin Games.

Last fall, he worked with Robin Wagner, who coached Sarah Hughes to the 2002 Olympic gold medal. Wagner helped with choreography and training for the season and for nationals.

"I think he's finally said to himself, 'I'm really very good and it's time for me to experience that performance I know I can do,'" Wagner said.

ICE DANCERS OUT: Kate Slattery and Chuen-Gun Lee withdrew from the ice dance competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday, two days after Lee broke his nose during warmups.

Lee also had a slight concussion after colliding with another competitor, Jonathan Toman, during the warm-up before the original dance Tuesday night.

KILLING TIME: The ice dancers had plenty of time on their hands this week.

A change in the schedule at this year's U.S. Figure Skating Championships gave the senior dancers two days off between the original dance and the free dance. Instead of having the compulsories, original dance and free dance on separate days like most years, the first two events were both Tuesday, and the free dance isn't until tonight.

The three events will be held over four days at the Turin Olympics.

"We're happy to have the free dance Friday evening and not in the afternoon," said Igor Shpilband, the coach of two-time defending champions Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.

"I'd like to have more audience for the free dance, so we're willing to have another day off as the sacrifice."