ATLANTA -- Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto could be the best hope to break the U.S. drought in ice dancing at the 2006 Olympics.

If they get there, that is.

Belbin, a Canadian, is in the process of becoming a dual citizen so she and Agosto can represent the United States in the Olympics. But she only got her green card in the summer of 2002, and it usually takes another five years to become a citizen.

That would be 2007 -- a year too late for the Turin Olympics.

"We're understanding, we're patient, we're trying our best," Belbin said. "We'll do everything we can, of course, but we're certainly not going to go crying about it. There are people trying just to come to the United States all the time -- for good reason."

Belbin is hardly the first athlete to run into this problem. Peter Tchernyshev, who won the last five ice dance titles at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with partner Naomi Lang, is a Russian who became an American citizen in January 2001.

Khalid Khannouchi, who set a world record in the marathon, was born in Morocco but now represents the United States. Cuban-born gymnast Annia Hatch competes for the United States.

While Belbin said she's talked with government officials about her citizenship status, there's no formal effort to get it pushed through.

"Obviously, missing the Olympics is something we've known about. It's something we talked about when we decided to skate together," she said. "If something would happen that would allow us to go to the Olympics, that would be a dream come true. Otherwise, we'll continue to skate."

Belbin and Agosto have made astonishing progress in the international ranks since winning the junior world title in 2002. They vaulted from 13th to seventh at worlds last year. They won Skate America this season and were third at the Grand Prix final, the first American team to medal at that event.

The United States hasn't won an Olympic medal in ice dance since 1976.

So Good, So Young
Shantel Jordan and Jeremy Barrett had better savor their first major title. It's got to last them awhile.

Jordan and Barrett won the junior pairs title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday night. But she's only 11 years old, two years below the minimum age to compete in junior international events like the junior Grand Prix or junior world championships.

He's almost 20, the maximum age for junior international events.

That means they won't be able to skate together in international competitions until she's 15, four long years from now.

"It had to be for the long haul because they're in the unique situation where they're the junior national champions but they can't go to any international events because she's too young," said coach Kerry Leitch, who once trained 1993 world pairs champions Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler.

"Which is an absurd rule, I think. We knew from day one they'd be very good, but they'd have to wait."

Jordan and Barrett say they have no problem being patient.

"Obviously we'd like (to compete in internationals), but winning this title right now is better than any international," Barrett said. "It's a great moment."

Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski were second, and Andrea Varraux and David Pelletier were third.

On Scholarship
A 10-year-old from Detroit got a free trip to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, thanks to Michael Weiss.

The three-time U.S. champ held a contest on his Web site, asking fans to write an essay of 200 words or less explaining why Weiss should pop for their trip. The winner got airfare and accommodations for two as well as tickets to the men's competition and the exhibition.

Nicholas Fisk's mother, Lisa, wrote the winning essay.

"He is in a sport where the kids at school as well as the hockey players sometimes harass him for being in a 'girlie' sport," she wrote. "My son is a loving and caring young man, the first to rush over to someone's side when they fall and help them up. At a previous competition, a younger boy competing against him was scared to take the ice. My son went over to the boy and talked to him, telling, 'It's not about winning or losing, just having fun."'

When Weiss called to tell Nicholas Fisk they'd won, the boy didn't believe him.

"He goes, 'Yeah, right Uncle Louie,' " Weiss said, laughing. "I guess he'd told his uncle he'd entered the contest, and he thought his uncle was playing a joke on him."

Weiss isn't done giving things away. He will award three scholarships to young skaters later this year, donating the seed money himself. The dollar amounts haven't been set yet because Weiss is hoping to get additional money from corporate sponsors, but the scholarships will go toward skating expenses.

Ice is slippery
The only thing uglier than some of the costumes at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last year was the men's free skate.

Every top man fell at least once. Tim Goebel didn't land one of his trademark quads. And Michael Weiss won the men's title despite not landing a triple axel in the entire competition.

"Who would have ever dreamed we'd see something like that? It was absolute Abbott and Costello," said Frank Carroll, Goebel's coach. "They were good solid skaters going into that event. And it wasn't a good solid event, that's for sure."

Pssst! Hear this one?
Tim Goebel is discovering all kinds of things he didn't know about himself this week. Like that he'd dumped coach Frank Carroll. And that he considered pulling out of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Only neither are true.

Goebel is competing this week -- the men's competition starts Thursday -- and he's still working with Carroll.

"It's been kind of funny," Goebel said. "It's amazing how people come up with these things."