This event features the reigning Junior medalists as well as all the novice medalists from last season. Six of these teams are returning to nationals as juniors and seven of the teams competed on the Junior Grand Prix with one team qualifying for the Final. With the Latin short dance requirement, the older teams will have an advantage as they will better be able to understand and capture the feeling of a Latin dance. If a younger team can capture that flavor they'll also have a great shot at the podium.
Aldridge and Eaton won two medals on the Junior Grand Prix to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final. Their claim to fame all season has been their River Dance Free Dance. Their Short Dance almost kept them from the podium at their first JGP event, but it has steadily improved throughout the season. They've really improved this season and taken their skating to another level and are one of best junior teams in the world.
Bonacorsi and Mager are the reigning Junior silver medalists and competed at Junior Worlds last season. They just missed the Junior Grand Prix Final after winning two medals on the Junior Grand Prix. They have a very fluid style and nice expression on the ice. They set the highest sectional score this season.
Pogrebinsky and Gudis won the pewter medal as novices last season and didn't get a chance to compete on the Junior Grand Prix, however they won gold at their sectional event with the 2nd highest score overall. They're also a very young team with several years of Junior eligibility ahead of them and with a good placement here, they'll likely receive Junior Grand Prix assignments next season.
Heritage and Fast finished just behind Pogrebinsky and Gudis at Sectionals and finished 5th at their Junior Grand Prix assignment. They train in San Jose, so they'll have the home town crowd behind them at this event which gives them a big advantage but can also be added pressure.
Bertsch and Kaplun won gold at their sectional ahead of two teams that competed on the Junior Grand Prix. They also set the 4th highest Sectionals score.
The Parsons siblings are the reigning Novice Champions and are only in their second season together after previously competing with other partners. They finished 9th in their Junior Grand Prix debut and have the 5th highest Sectionals score. They will be competing in the Youth Olympic Games in Austria the week before nationals and will have to fly directly to the event. It will be a difficult schedule, but they'll be in a competitive mindset and have some additional international feedback.
Also in the hunt are Hawayek and Bramante who won a medal at nationals as novices last season and competed on the Junior Grand Prix and McNamara and Carpenter who competed as juniors at nationals last season but are still not old enough to compete as juniors internationally.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Aldridge/Eaton
Silver: Bonacorsi/Mager
Bronze: Pogrebinsky/Gudis
Pewter: Heritage/Fast
Bios of the competitors:
Lauri Bonacorsi/Travis Mager: She is 18 and he is 21. She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Ice Works Skating Club. They finished 11th at Junior Worlds last season. They won bronze at JGP Italy and silver at JGP Australia. They are the 2009 Novice Champions, finished 6th as Juniors in 2010 and are the reigning Junior silver medalists. They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. They have the 7th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 6th best total score internationally.
Danielle Gamelin/Alexander Gamelin: They are 18 and represent the Skating Club of New York. They placed 9th at JGP Latvia. They finished 9th in Juvenile in 2007, are the 2008 Juvenile bronze medalists, 2009 Intermediate Champions, finished 5th in Novice in 2010, and 7th in Junior in 2011. They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter: She is 12 and he is 15. She represents the Peninsula Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club. They are the 2008 Juvenile pewter medalists, 2009 Intermediate pewter medalists, finished 6th in Novice in 2010 and 9th in Junior in 2011. They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons: She is 14 and he is 16. They represent the Washington Figure Skating Club. They finished 9th at JGP Poland. They are the reigning Novice Champions. They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Amanda Bertsch/Sam Kaplun: She is 18 and he is 21. She represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Jenna Dzierzanowski/Vinny Dispenza: She is 18 and he is 21. She represents the Birmingham Figure Skating Club and he represents the Panthers Figure Skating Club. They finished 13th in Juniors in 2011. They won pewter at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Kaitlin Hawayek/Michael Bramante: She is 15 and he is 19. She represents the Skating Club of Western New York and he represents the Detroit Skating Club. They placed 8th at JGP Estonia and 4th at JGP Romania. They are the reigning Novice bronze medalists. They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Jessica Mancini/Tyler Brooks: She is 15 and he is 17. They represent the Broadmoor Skating Club. They finished 10th at JGP Poland. They are the reigning Novice silver medalists. They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Madeline Heritage/Nathaniel Fast: She is 17 and he is 19. They represent the University Ice Skating Club of San Jose. They finished 5th at JGP Australia. They are the 2008 Juvenile Champions, finished 8th in Intermediate in 2009, finished 9th in Novice in 2010 and 8th in Junior in 2011. They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Roxette Howe/Mark Jahnke: She is 18 and he is 21. She represents the All Year Skating Club and he represents the Seattle Skating Club. They won bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Cassandra Jeandell/Damian Dodge: They are 17 years old. She represents the University of Delaware and he represents the Peninsula Figure Skating Club. They finished 7th in Juvenile Dance in 2009 and 10th in Novice in 2011. They won pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Elliana Pogrebinsky/Ross Gudis: She is 13 and he is 16. She represents the Peninsula Figure Skating Club and he represents the Washington Figure Skating Club. They are the 2010 Intermediate bronze medalists and the reigning Novice pewter medalists. They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Alexandra Aldridge/Daniel Eaton: She is 17 and he is 19. They represent the Detroit Skating Club. They won bronze at JGP Latvia and silver at JGP Austria to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th. They are the 2010 Novice Champions and finished 5th in Juniors in 2011. They received a bye to nationals by qualifying for the JGPF. They have the 4th best short dance, free dance and total scores internationally.
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