Flatt shows off changes to her routine

ARVADA • First, Rachael Flatt lost her braces and added a bit more makeup. Then she revamped her programs, with increased speed, better posture and some spunk.

The Cheyenne Mountain High School senior has reinvented herself for the biggest test of her figure skating career, not bashful about making changes she believes will catapult her into the 2010 Olympics.

She showed it Friday in an upbeat short program that featured a triple flip-triple toe loop, dazzling spins and fancy footwork, taking second behind fellow Broadmoor Skating Club member Alexe Gilles at the Colorado Championships at the Apex Center.

Today, her long program — she calls it “emotional and romantic,” with music by Sergei Rachmaninov, a perfect complement to a short in which her “energetic and happy side” is highlighted through the musical “Fosse” — will include seven triple jumps.

It’s a much-needed transformation for Flatt, the 2008 world junior champion who surged to a runner-up finish at the U.S. Championships in January and a fifth-place finish at the world championships in March. The American women have two spots for Vancouver — next year’s national champion is guaranteed an Olympic berth.

Flatt said she didn’t hesitate in switching elements because “everyone wants to be at their best, and I think these programs show very different aspects of my skating. … I’m more confident in my skating.”