estiny and fate appear to be on Jennifer Kirk's side.
Kirk spent four years with the Boston Ballet presentation of ''The Nutcracker Suite'' just a couple of T stops away from the FleetCenter on the Green Line, and a few more stops away from her Newton birthplace. And now she is about to perform to the same music in the ladies' final of the US Figure Skating Championships.
Kirk finished in fourth place in the short program last night, and is one place away from qualifying for the World Championships in Vancouver in March. She must overtake Angela Nikodinov of the All Year Figure Skating Club, who is in third place behind Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes.
''Our whole gig is [tonight],'' said Kirk's coach, Evy Scotvold. ''Her strength is in the long program. There is a lot of content and consistency in it. The goal was to be in striking distance and to be able to have a go at it.''
This was a defining moment for Kirk, who last year finished in seventh place and appeared to have been emotionally defeated by the experience. Kirk, 16, made a complete recovery, though, and is on the verge of cracking into the elite category of the sport.
''I was really nervous, especially after skating after Michelle and Sarah,'' Kirk said. ''They were so unbelievable. I'm just so thrilled to have skated that well. There is a lot of pressure when you are performing in your hometown. I had a lot of people here watching me. Being fourth is awesome.
''Last year, before the short program I was a wreck. I was crying. Just having all the national experience this year really helped. I learned to skate for me and not for anybody else.''
In fact, this event is a steppingstone for Kirk. Hughes, 15, is the only other teenager among the top five after the short program. And Kirk is apparently receiving positive signals from the skating powers that be.
''[Kirk] is very good technically and she is still young,'' Scotvold said. ''She needs to keep doing more and doing it better, and become stronger and more mature. She just needs to be around longer and get more seasoning and experience. They think a lot of her.
''If you know our sport, you know you have to earn your stripes.''
Kirk's performance last night also went far in shaking off an image of fragility.
''She probably focuses and gets centered as well as anyone I've coached,'' Scotvold said. ''Before she goes on, you could shoot fireworks off and she wouldn't notice it.
''She wants it bad and she knows herself and how to do it. She is focused. Her problem is not being nervous, it's trying too hard. We have to calm her down. She just has to let it flow; she's a natural jumper.''
And, as Scotvold's double-entendre implies: ''She has made a lot of quantum leaps in the last few months.''
So far, Kirk has avoided injury. And Scotvold is attempting to keep her training program in perspective, to find a healthy balance.
''Injuries are a part of sports,'' Scotvold said. ''It's not because of the triples or the triple combinations. It's not the loops. Triples have been around for a long time. Nancy Kerrigan has been doing them since she was 14 and she is still doing them now at 30.
''Some of the contortionist stuff can cause hyperextension, hip injuries. Plus, when you fall on the ice, there are impact injuries. We limit how many jumps she does. Because once you lose your focus, that's when there are problems. If you keep doing the same thing over and over, you tend not to pay attention and that's when there could be a nasty fall.''
