Most of the competitors here have competed internationally this season. Cain and Reagan qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final and placed a respectable 5th. They also won a silver medal at one of their assignments. They are also one of two novice medalists from last season competing here at the junior level. They should be the favorites here, but they don't have a large margin of error, having been beat by Duarte/Grafton at one of the JGP assignments. This should be a tight race for the podium as there are 5 teams with sectional scores within 10 points of each other. Only two teams are returning to the junior level, having competed here last season, and this experience could pay off, but their scores at sectionals have them toward the bottom of the group. Carman and Reiss are the only ones in this field to have competed at the Junior World Championships, which could be in their favor. I think there will be 1-2 spots for junior pairs teams on the Junior Worlds team so it will be important to finish not just on the podium, but at the top of the podium.
The teams:
Cain/Reagan: They finished 6th at JGP Great Britain and 2nd at Czech Republic to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th. They are the reigning national champions at the novice level.
Garza/Frazier: They finished 8th at JGP Austria. They qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals. They are the reigning national bronze medalists at the novice level.
Poapst/Knierim: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.
Calalang/Sidhu: They finished 10th at JGP Czech Republic. They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.
Sowa/Leenen: They finished 7th at JGP Pokal der Blauen. They qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals. They finished 9th last season at nationals at the novice level.
Duarte/Grafton: They finished 5th at JGP Great Britain and 7th at Czech Republic. They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals. They are the reigning national pewter medalists at the novice level.
Andrews/LeDuc: They finished 8th at JGP Great Britain. They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.
Carman/Reiss: They finished 12th at the Junior World Figure Skating Championships. They finished 5th at JGP Austria and 8th at Pokal der Blauen. They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals. They finished 5th at nationals last season as juniors.
Denney/Raad: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals. They finished 7th last season at nationals at the junior level.
Bautista/Harris: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.
Oltmanns/Santillan: They finished 11th at JGP Austria. They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals. They finished 6th at nationals last season at the novice level.
Guterres/Schumann: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast Sectionals. They finished 7th at nationals last season at the novice level.
Rybka/Blackmer qualified but the team has since split up and there is no alternate.
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