U.S. Nationals Junior Ladies Preview

Four of these ladies are returning to the junior ranks at nationals, including reigning bronze medalist Katarina Kulgeyko.  The novice gold, silver and bronze medalists from last season have moved up for their first season as juniors.  Only four of these ladies have competed internationally this season, but two of them won medals.

Gracie Gold tore up the competition scene this year, impressing USFSA enough in her summer events to earn a spot on the Junior Grand Prix even though she failed to qualify for nationals last season.  She won gold in her debut and still holds the second highest mark for a junior lady internationally this season.  She has big, consistent jumps including difficult triple + triple combinations.  She has even worked on triple axels and triple + triple + triple combinations in practice.  She's also showed that she has conquered her nerves and hasn't lost an event this season.  The Midwestern section is extremely talented, with all the novice medalists last season coming from that section, and Gold still routed the field by 23 points.  If she can continue this pace she could be the best hope for the US to medal at Junior Worlds against the Russian ladies.

Hannah Miller is the reigning novice champion and also debuted on the Junior Grand Prix, winning a bronze medal.  She almost missed out on a trip to nationals after her short program left her behind the top contenders at sectionals.  She rebounded with her free skate to earn the final spot.  On the JGP, she set one of the highest short program scores of the season but her free skate didn't match up.  If she can put together two clean programs, she could be in contention, but she doesn't have the same technical difficulty as Gold.

Barbie Long is the reigning novice silver medalist.  Although she didn't receive a JGP spot, she did several summer competitions and consistently showed good results.  She showed improvement between regionals and sectionals as well, showing she is on the right track.  Her short program is not her strong suit, but if she can put up good marks there, her free skate is where she can really earn the points.

Mariah Bell is the reigning novice bronze medalist.  She is a solid short program skater and you can count on her to go clean in that segment and end up near the top of the leaderboard.  However, she makes mistakes in her free skate that drop her standing.  If she can minimize the number of errors she has a great shot at the podium.

Ashley Cain is pulling double duty again this season, competing in both senior pairs and junior ladies.  She had a respectable outing on the Junior Grand Prix, placing 5th and 6th in her two events.  She also debuted on the Grand Prix in pairs at Cup of Russia.  Competing in both events seems to work for her and her coaches have devised a regimen in which she minimizes the number of repetitions in practice and focuses on consistency.

Despite being the reigning junior ladies bronze medalist, Katarina Kulgeyko may find it hard to make the medal stand this year.  She has struggled with injuries all season, even withdrawing from her first JGP event.  Her mark at regionals was significantly below her international result and while her sectionals scores were higher they still didn't match where she scored earlier in the season.  If she's healthy she can be a contender, but this is a tough field and any little error can cost her the podium.


My podium predictions:
Gold: Gracie Gold
Silver: Barbie Long
Bronze: Hannah Miller
Pewter: Mariah Bell


Bios of the competitors:
Jenelle Herman: She represents the Skating Club of Boston.  She won gold at New England Regionals and pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 9th best free skate and 10th best total score.

Jessica Hu: She represents the Skating Club of North Carolina.  She won gold at South Atlantic Regionals and bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 6th best short program, 7th best free skate and 6th best total score.

Haley Mulera: She represents the Washington Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2008 Juvenile Girls silver medalist and finished 7th in Intermediate Ladies in 2009.  She won bronze at South Atlantic Regionals and placed 6th at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Allison Timlen: She represents the Columbia Figure Skating Club.  She is the 2009 Intermediate Ladies bronze medalist, placed 11th in Novice Ladies in 2010 and 10th in Junior Ladies in 2011.  She won silver at South Atlantic Regionals and silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Mariah Bell: She is 15 years old and represents the Rocky Mountain Figure Skating Club.  She finished 8th in Intermediate Ladies in 2010 and is the reigning Novice Ladies bronze medalist.  She won gold at the Southwestern Regional and bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 2nd best short program, 4th best free skate and 3rd best total score.

Gracie Gold: She is 16 years old and represents the Wagon Wheel Figure Skating Club.  She won gold at JGP Estonia.  She is the 2010 Novice Ladies pewter medalist.  She won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the best short program, free skate and total scores.  She also has the 2nd best junior international score this season.

Barbie Long: She is 15 years old and represents the Springfield Figure Skating Club.  She finished 6th in Juvenile Girls in 2009, is the 2010 Intermediate Ladies bronze medalist, and is the reigning Novice Ladies silver medalist.  She won gold at the Upper Great Lakes Regional and silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 7th best short program, 3rd best free skate and 2nd best total score.

Hannah Miller: She is 15 years old and represents the Lansing Skating Club.  She won bronze at JGP Italy.  She finished 8th in Juvenile Girls in 2009, 5th in Intermediate Ladies in 2010 and is the reigning Novice Ladies Champion.  She won pewter at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 2nd best free skate and 4th best total score.  Internationally, she has the 10th best junior short program score for the season.

Camille Davis: She represents the Salt Lake Figure Skating Club. She won bronze at Central Pacific Regionals and pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Polina Edmunds: She represents the Peninsula Skating Club.  She finished 6th in Novice Ladies in 2010 and 7th in Junior Ladies in 2011.  She won silver at Central Pacific Regionals and bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 10th best free skate score.

Katarina Kulgeyko: She is 15 years old and represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.  She placed 5th at JGP Austria.  She finished 7th in Intermediate Ladies in 2008, is the 2009 Intermediate Ladies Champion, the 2010 Novice Ladies bronze medalist and is the reigning Junior Ladies bronze medalist.  She won gold at Southwest Pacific Regionals and Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 3rd best short program and 8th best total score.

Gwendolyn Prescott: She represents the Peninsula Skating Club.  She is the 2009 Juvenile Girls Champion and the 2010 Intermediate Ladies silver medalist.  She won gold at Central Pacific Regionals and silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  She has the 10th best short program score.

Ashley Cain:  She is 16 years old and represents the Stars Figure Skating Club of Texas.  She placed 6th at JGP Latvia and 5th at JGP Romania.  She is the 2010 Novice Ladies silver medalist and finished 6th in Junior Ladies in 2011.  She also competes in pairs and is the reigning National Junior Pairs Champion.  She received a bye to nationals as she was competing on the Grand Prix in pairs.

JGP Austria Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Vanessa LAM	USA	106.23	58.12		48.11	6.04	5.71	6.18	6.00	6.14	0.00	#28
2	Zijun LI	CHN	100.81	53.56		48.25	6.36	5.68	6.11	6.04	5.96	1.00	#29
3	Polina AGAFONOVA	RUS	92.68	46.66		47.02	6.14	5.68	5.86	5.89	5.82	1.00	#30
4	Katarina KULGEYKO	USA	92.57	49.15		43.42	5.71	5.21	5.46	5.36	5.39	0.00	#26
5	Miu SATO	JPN	90.64	45.75		45.89	6.29	5.21	5.96	5.68	5.54	1.00	#25
6	So-Youn PARK	KOR	84.92	46.20		40.72	5.46	4.64	5.32	5.07	4.96	2.00	#20
7	Beata PAPP	FIN	83.72	45.30		38.42	4.93	4.61	4.93	4.79	4.75	0.00	#15
8	Natasha PURICH	CAN	80.89	39.26		42.63	5.46	5.00	5.43	5.36	5.39	1.00	#21
9	Anais VENTARD	FRA	80.34	38.96		42.38	5.21	4.89	5.39	5.54	5.46	1.00	#23
10	Kako TOMOTAKI	JPN	80.17	40.90		41.27	5.75	5.00	5.18	5.00	4.86	2.00	#27
11	Isabel DRESCHER	GER	72.76	36.82		35.94	4.89	4.29	4.57	4.43	4.29	0.00	#22
12	Tina STUERZINGER	SUI	69.54	34.19		35.35	4.57	4.14	4.57	4.43	4.39	0.00	#24
13	Svetlana ISSAKOVA	EST	66.24	34.44		32.80	4.50	3.79	4.21	4.11	3.89	1.00	#8
14	Agnese GARLISI	ITA	60.99	26.13		36.86	4.71	4.36	4.57	4.68	4.71	2.00	#19
15	Camilla GJERSEM	NOR	60.58	29.22		34.36	4.29	4.04	4.18	4.43	4.54	3.00	#16
16	Nina Larissa WOLFSLAST	AUT	59.00	29.38		30.62	3.89	3.61	3.89	3.96	3.79	1.00	#10
17	Daria PODTELEJNIKOVA	DEN	56.40	28.33		30.07	3.86	3.50	3.82	3.86	3.75	2.00	#11
18	Petra JURIC	CRO	55.51	25.50		30.01	3.79	3.43	3.89	3.86	3.79	0.00	#7
19	Lana BAGEN	GBR	54.16	24.74		31.42	4.00	3.82	3.93	4.00	3.89	2.00	#18
20	Mona Lisa WEINBERGER	AUT	54.00	29.63		25.37	3.46	2.93	3.18	3.21	3.07	1.00	#5
21	Eliska BREZINOVA	CZE	52.94	22.12		31.82	4.39	3.75	3.96	4.04	3.75	1.00	#17
22	Sumika YAMADA	HKG	52.10	22.05		31.05	4.29	3.68	3.79	3.86	3.79	1.00	#13
23	Kim BELL	NED	50.99	22.47		30.52	4.11	3.57	3.68	3.96	3.75	2.00	#14
24	Alexandra KUNOVA	SVK	50.41	24.77		27.64	3.89	3.14	3.57	3.50	3.18	2.00	#6
25	Pina UMEK	SLO	50.13	26.11		25.02	3.39	2.93	3.25	3.14	2.93	1.00	#3
26	Lieselotte SWERTS	BEL	50.03	22.91		28.12	3.61	3.36	3.50	3.64	3.46	1.00	#9
27	Michelle QUINTERO	MEX	48.47	25.63		24.84	3.46	2.89	3.14	3.04	3.00	2.00	#1
28	Zara PASFIELD	AUS	47.51	21.70		26.81	3.46	3.04	3.36	3.43	3.46	1.00	#2
29	Anita KAPFERER	AUT	45.90	21.37		26.53	3.86	3.04	3.18	3.36	3.14	2.00	#12
30	Duygu SEN	TUR	44.52	21.83		24.69	3.18	3.04	3.00	3.21	3.00	2.00	#4

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Vanessa LAM	USA	156.58	4	1
2	Zijun LI	CHN	156.40	2	2
3	Polina AGAFONOVA	RUS	148.65	1	3
4	Miu SATO	JPN	141.52	3	5
5	Katarina KULGEYKO	USA	139.50	6	4
6	So-Youn PARK	KOR	131.19	8	6
7	Kako TOMOTAKI	JPN	128.95	5	10
8	Anais VENTARD	FRA	127.10	7	9
9	Natasha PURICH	CAN	123.67	9	8
10	Beata PAPP	FIN	120.27	13	7
11	Isabel DRESCHER	GER	113.43	10	11
12	Tina STUERZINGER	SUI	108.25	12	12
13	Agnese GARLISI	ITA	100.33	11	14
14	Svetlana ISSAKOVA	EST	96.97	20	13
15	Camilla GJERSEM	NOR	95.35	15	15
16	Nina Larissa WOLFSLAST	AUT	90.06	19	16
17	Eliska BREZINOVA	CZE	87.49	16	21
18	Sumika YAMADA	HKG	87.25	14	22
19	Lana BAGEN	GBR	85.65	18	19
20	Daria PODTELEJNIKOVA	DEN	85.52	22	17
21	Petra JURIC	CRO	84.70	21	18
22	Kim BELL	NED	84.11	17	23
23	Mona Lisa WEINBERGER	AUT	82.47	25	20
24	Lieselotte SWERTS	BEL	78.71	24	26
25	Alexandra KUNOVA	SVK	78.55	26	24
26	Pina UMEK	SLO	76.00	30	25
27	Anita KAPFERER	AUT	74.98	23	29
28	Michelle QUINTERO	MEX	74.76	28	27
29	Zara PASFIELD	AUS	74.10	27	28
30	Duygu SEN	TUR	70.75	29	30

JGP Austria Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Polina AGAFONOVA	RUS	55.97	32.31		23.66	5.96	5.50	6.07	5.96	6.07	0.00	#17
2	Zijun LI	CHN	55.59	31.79		23.80	6.07	5.61	6.14	5.93	6.00	0.00	#4
3	Miu SATO	JPN	50.88	28.20		22.68	5.96	5.43	5.75	5.64	5.57	0.00	#13
4	Vanessa LAM	USA	50.35	27.72		22.63	5.71	5.43	5.75	5.57	5.82	0.00	#16
5	Kako TOMOTAKI	JPN	48.78	28.67		20.11	5.50	4.71	4.93	5.07	4.93	0.00	#11
6	Katarina KULGEYKO	USA	46.93	26.74		21.19	5.46	4.93	5.39	5.46	5.25	1.00	#2
7	Anais VENTARD	FRA	46.76	26.25		20.51	4.96	4.86	5.14	5.29	5.39	0.00	#19
8	So-Youn PARK	KOR	46.27	26.00		20.27	5.25	4.86	5.04	5.07	5.11	0.00	#25
9	Natasha PURICH	CAN	42.78	22.36		20.42	5.21	4.75	5.14	5.14	5.29	0.00	#6
10	Isabel DRESCHER	GER	40.67	22.87		17.80	4.75	4.32	4.43	4.39	4.36	0.00	#20
11	Agnese GARLISI	ITA	39.34	19.92		19.42	4.89	4.64	4.96	4.86	4.93	0.00	#23
12	Tina STUERZINGER	SUI	38.71	22.46		16.25	4.18	3.75	4.00	4.21	4.18	0.00	#7
13	Beata PAPP	FIN	36.55	19.22		17.33	4.54	4.07	4.36	4.32	4.36	0.00	#15
14	Sumika YAMADA	HKG	35.15	18.94		16.21	4.18	3.82	4.11	4.07	4.07	0.00	#26
15	Camilla GJERSEM	NOR	34.77	19.88		16.89	4.21	3.96	4.29	4.29	4.36	2.00	#27
16	Eliska BREZINOVA	CZE	34.55	18.73		15.82	4.14	3.71	3.89	4.07	3.96	0.00	#30
17	Kim BELL	NED	33.12	18.65		14.47	3.86	3.32	3.61	3.68	3.61	0.00	#21
18	Lana BAGEN	GBR	31.49	17.28		15.21	3.86	3.54	3.86	3.89	3.86	1.00	#9
19	Nina Larissa WOLFSLAST	AUT	31.06	17.43		13.63	3.57	3.07	3.43	3.46	3.50	0.00	#28
20	Svetlana ISSAKOVA	EST	30.73	16.48		16.25	4.25	3.79	4.00	4.14	4.14	2.00	#5
21	Petra JURIC	CRO	29.19	16.42		13.77	3.61	3.14	3.46	3.43	3.57	1.00	#10
22	Daria PODTELEJNIKOVA	DEN	29.12	16.84		14.28	3.68	3.32	3.46	3.75	3.64	2.00	#18
23	Anita KAPFERER	AUT	29.08	15.62		14.46	3.82	3.36	3.57	3.68	3.64	1.00	#8
24	Lieselotte SWERTS	BEL	28.68	16.48		13.20	3.43	3.00	3.32	3.32	3.43	1.00	#1
25	Mona Lisa WEINBERGER	AUT	28.47	16.70		12.77	3.25	2.96	3.32	3.21	3.21	1.00	#3
26	Alexandra KUNOVA	SVK	28.14	13.73		14.41	3.82	3.29	3.61	3.68	3.61	0.00	#12
27	Zara PASFIELD	AUS	26.59	12.64		13.95	3.61	3.18	3.54	3.57	3.54	0.00	#24
28	Michelle QUINTERO	MEX	26.29	12.64		13.65	3.54	3.14	3.46	3.50	3.43	0.00	#14
29	Duygu SEN	TUR	26.23	12.86		14.37	3.61	3.54	3.50	3.68	3.64	1.00	#29
30	Pina UMEK	SLO	25.87	12.12		14.75	3.75	3.57	3.57	3.82	3.71	1.00	#22

JGP Austria Ladies Preview

Polina Agafonova of Russia is on the comeback trail.  She won junior world bronze in 2010 but had a less than stellar JGP season last year.  She started this season strong with a bronze medal in her first event in Latvia and has an opportunity to move up the podium here.  She'll be facing off with another bronze medalist, Vanessa Lam of the United States, who claimed her prize in Australia.


Zijun Li of China won the silver medal in Latvia and is looking for her second medal of the season to secure a return spot to the JGPF where she won bronze last season.  Miu Sato of Japan finished just off the podium at her debut in Poland and will be looking to move up the ranks.  Katarina Kulgeyko of the United States is making her international debut.  She withdrew from an earlier event due to injury.  If she's fully healed she could contend for a medal here.


My podium predictions:
Gold: Vanessa Lam
Silver: Zijun Li
Bronze: Polina Agafonova


Bios of the competitors:


Zara Pasfield, AUS: This is her JGP debut.


Anita Kapferer, AUT: This is her JGP debut.


Mona Lisa Weinberger, AUT: This is her international debut.


Nina Larissa Wolfslast, AUT: This is her international debut.


Lieselotte Swerts, BEL: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old.


Natasha Purich, CAN: This is her international debut.  She is 16 years old.


Zijun Li, CHN: She placed 9^th at the World Junior Championships.  She won the silver medal at JGP Latvia.  She won the bronze medal at JGP Austria and finished 4^th at JGP Czech Republic last season to earn a berth to the JGPF where she won the bronze medal.  Her personal best is 149.82.  She is 14 years old. 

Petra Juric, CRO: This is her JGP debut.  She is 16 years old.


Eliska Brezinova, CZE: She finished 26th at JGP Germany and 14th at JGP Czech Republic last season.  her personal best is 101.70.  She is 15 years old.


Daria Podtelejnikova, DEN: She finished 27th at JGP Austria and 21st at JGP Germany last season.  Her personal best is 92.55.  She is 16 years old.


Svetlana Issakova, EST: She finished 18th at Europeans.  She placed 19th at JGP Romania last season.  Her personal best is 118.44.  She is 18 years old.

Beata Papp, FIN: She finished 7^th at her JGP debut in Australia.  Her personal best is 117.37.  She is 16 years old.

Anais Ventard, FRA: She finished 6th at JGP France and 8th at JGP Romania last season.  Her personal best is 121.49.  She is 15 years old.


Isabel Drescher, GER: She finished 19th at World Juniors.  She placed 11th at JGP Great Britain and 16th at JGP Germany last season.  Her personal best is 126.65.  She is 17 years old.


Lana Bagen, GBR: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old.

Sumika Yamada, HKG: She finished 32nd in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  She placed 22^nd at JGP Australia.  Her personal best is 78.57.  She is 16 years old.

Agnese Garlisi, ITA: This is her JGP debut.  She is 17 years old.

Miu Sato, JPN: She finished 4^th at her international debut in Poland.  Her personal best is 135.60.  She is 14 years old.

Kako Tomotaki, JPN: This is her JGP debut.  She is 16 years old.


Michelle Quintero, MEX: She finished 27th at JGP Romania last season.  Her personal best is 54.39.  She is 16 years old.


Kim Bell, NED: This is her JGP debut.  She is 16 years old.


Camilla Gjersem, NOR: She finished 28th at JGP Austria.  Her personal best is 79.24.  She is 17 years old.


So-Youn Park, KOR: This is her international debut.

Polina Agafonova, RUS: She is the 2010 World Junior bronze medalist.  She won bronze at JGP Latvia.  Her personal best is 154.27.  She is 15 years old.

Alexandra Kunova, SVK: She finished 24th at Europeans.  Her personal best is 105.86.  She is 18 years old.


Pina Umek, SLO: She placed 25th at JGP Romania last season.  Her personal best is 68.30.  She is 16 years old.

Tina Sturzinger, SUI: She finished 10^th at JGP Latvia.  Her personal best is 116.02.  She is 15 years old.

Duygu Sen, TUR: This is her JGP debut.  


Katarina Kulgeyko, USA: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old.

Vanessa Lam, USA: She won bronze at JGP Australia.  Her personal best is 156.41.  She is 16 years old.

US Nationals: Junior Recap

Men:

Max Aaron was able to come from behind after the short program to win the junior mens title by almost 6 points.  He was able to land a triple axel in combination in his free skate but fell on his second triple axel.  He'll be competing senior next season and the more mileage he can get on the triple axel the better, as many new seniors struggle with this element or only do double axels.  He'll be heading to Junior Worlds later this month.

Alexander Zahradnicek took the silver medal after winning the short program.  He had one triple-triple combination in his free skate with two other solo triples and two triples in combination.  He only performed double axels in his programs.  Overall he looked very solid but he has aged out of the junior ranks and will need to step up some of his content to really make the jump to the senior level especially with such a deep, young field.

Alexander Aiken took the bronze with a 3rd place finish in both segments.  He had one triple-triple combination, one additional triple in combination and three solo triples along with double axels in his free skate.  This was his first national medal since 2005.  He is too old to compete as a junior internationally, and I think he'll move up to seniors nationally next season.  He had a few jump errors and I'd like to see him get more consistent and add a triple axel to his arsenal.

Emmanuel Savary could have a bright future as he is quickly rising through the ranks and has just turned 13 years old.  He finished 5th in his first season as a junior and I predict he'll stay at this level next season.  He has triple-triple combinations and Level 4 spins.  With some more experience and a triple axel he could have a good shot at the junior title next season, but he'll have to fend off 2 time novice champ Nathan Chen.

Ladies:

Courtney Hicks blew away the field to win gold by almost 20 points and post the highest score ever for a junior lady under the Code of Points (beating the record set last season by Agnes Zawadzki).  Her signature spin, the Tw-Hicks wowed the crowd and she landed triple-triple combinations in both of her programs (which none of the medal winners in senior ladies executed).  She had three solo triples in her free skate and three triples in combination.  She has been compared to Sasha Cohen but she seems to be able to stay on her feet.  She has earned a spot on the Junior Worlds team and this will be her first international competition.  It will be interesting to see if she follows Zawadzki onto the Senior Grand Prix next season or elects to complete a year on the Junior Grand Prix.

Lauren Dinh pulled up to finish 2nd in the free skate and second overall with three triples in combination and three solo triples in her free skate.  She had a solid performance and was enjoyable to watch, but lacks some maturity in her performance skills.  She has not competed internationally and I'd like to see her complete a season on the Junior Grand Prix and stay as a junior next year before moving up to the senior ranks.

Katarina Kulgeyko fell to 3rd in the free skate and 3rd overall after popping her opening jump and receiving no credit.  She showed great maturity to come back from that mistake and complete the rest of her skate with no errors.  She didn't have very high GOEs and I'd like to see her really land her jumps and gain more confidence in landing them so she can get more points.  She does have a double axel-triple toe combination which many of the senior ladies execute.  She'll be 15 in May and I'd like to see her get a little international experience after her success nationally (three medals in three years in three different levels).

Mary Beth Marley and Ashley Cain were doing double duty with pairs and singles and finished 5th and 6th respectively.

Pairs

Cain and Reagan won both segments to win the gold medal in juniors only one year after taking the novice title.  For such a young team I was impressed with their poise and maturity on the ice and they have a very nice look together.  They had two throw triples in their free skate but only have a double twist.  She is 15 years old and he turned 21 in November.  They competed in the Junior Grand Prix Final and are headed to Junior Worlds.  Unfortunately, this is their final season of junior eligibility so they'll need to work on the triple twist to be able to keep up at the senior level.

Poapst and Kneirim pulled up after a 6th place short program to win the silver medal.  They have a triple twist but only one throw triple.  They are in their first season together but their options for international development are slim as Chris is too old to compete at the junior level.

Andrews and LeDuc won the bronze medal after a 2nd place short program and 5th place free skate.  They have one throw triple and a double twist.  They'll need to really up their technical content to compete as seniors.  This is their first season together and they'll be heading to Junior Worlds later this month.  They only had one Junior Grand Prix assignment this season and I'd like to see what they could do with two assignments.

Dance:
Lichtman and Copely were the favorites going into the event after their trip to the Junior Grand Prix Final and were able to deliver and win the gold medal.  They have several of the Zoueva/Shpilband trademarks including great twizzles, interesting lifts and amazing choreography.  They'll be going to the Junior World Championships this year, but will be competing as seniors next season.  They are older than Chock/Zuerlein and the Shibutanis and with Samuelson and Bates also returning it will be interesting to see where this team factors in to the national picture.

Bonacorsi and Mager won the silver medal and a trip to Junior Worlds.  With the senior ranks becoming increasingly croweded, I'd like to see them stay on the Junior Grand Prix next season.  They won one medal this season and I think they'd have a good shot at two medals and a trip to the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They have a very nice quality about them and they train at IceWorks with some of the top dance teams in Europe. 

Cannuscio and McManus won the bronze medal with their entertaining high energy programs and are also going to Junior Worlds.  I think their programs are very fun and Anastasia has a ton of personality on the ice but as they transition to the senior ranks, I'd like to see them inject a little maturity into their programs while also keeping the qualities that make them unique and will help them stand out in a crowded field.

Yang and Baker were one of the younger  teams in this field and the surprise leader after the short program.  A costly mistake on the twizzles in the free skate dropped them to 6th overall.  I think they have a good future ahead of them as they have very nice flow and a very pleasant persona on the ice, but their music choice could be better.

McNamara and Carpenter are only going to be 12 and 16 this month.  Some of this immaturity began to show in their free skate as they lacked some of the flow and edge work of some of the older teams, but for their age they are very advanced and have made a lot of progress in only a years time.  They'll have some time before they can compete internationally to really work out these kinks but by the time they're ready for the Junior Grand Prix they should be a solid team.

US Nationals: Junior Ladies Free Skate

1. Ashley Cain: 45.74 TES + 44.35 PCS -1.00 = 89.09 Total: 137.44 
1. She is skating to Music of the Night and is currently in 7th place
2. Her feet get tied up on her first jump and she puts her hands down
3. She recovers with a nice triple jump
4. She needs to straighten her free leg in the sit spin position
5. She lands a very nice double axel
6. Another nice triple
7. A nice triple double combination but a little tight on the second landing
8. A really pretty layback spin but the biellman position needs a little work
9. She has a nice arabesqe spiral position
10. A nice double axel + double + double combination
11. A really nice step sequence into her final combination spin and I'd like to see a little more flexibility in the catch foot position
12. A solid program and kudos to her for skating a virtually clean program after her pairs short program this afternoon
2. Haley Dunne: 44.93 TES + 41.54 PCS = 86.47 Total: 132.57 and into 2nd place 
1. She is skating to the Plaza of Execution and is currently in 9th place
2. She opened with a nice triple
3. Another nice triple
4. She popped her next jump into a single
5. She has some nice sit spin positions
6. A nice arabesque spiral position for her
7. Triple + double + double combo
8. Nice positions on her layback spin but I'd like for her to fix her hands
9. A nice double axel + double combo
10. Another nice triple for her and she follows up with a solid double axel
11. Nice positions in her combination spin and good speed, although she loses her centering in her final upright position
3. Nina Jiang: 42.13 TES + 40.68 PCS -1.00 = 81.81 Total: 128.55 and into 3rd place 
1. She is skating to Ladies in Lavender and is currently in 8th place
2. She falls on her opening triple jump
3. Spread eagle into a triple + double combo
4. A nice fast rotation in her next triple jump
5. A nice wrapped arm positon in her layback spin and she maintains her speed into the Biellman
6. I'd like to see her really push through this step sequence and really cover the ice
7. She pops her next jump
8. A very nice triple double combination
9. Nice fast sit spins
10. Nice triple + double + double combination
11. A good double axel
12. Final combination spin starts with a nice camel position, good sit spins and an upright spin that never reaches the full catch foot extended position
4. Alison Timlen: 29.87 TES + 40.57 PCS = 70.44 Total: 115.64 and into 4th place 
1. She is skating to Victory at Sea and is currently in 10th place
2. She starts her program with her sit spin
3. She starts her jumps with a nice double axel
4. A little crooked in the air and puts a hand down on the first jump of her triple double combo
5. This step sequence seems very slow and small and I'd like her to put some power behind her steps
6. Landed a little low on her next triple
7. Some nice positions in her combination spin, especially in the layback position
8. A little crooked on the next triple but she hangs on to the landing
9. Two foots the triple in her triple double combo
10. Two foots and hands down on the landing of her triple
11. Nice height on her double axel
12. She seems to be running out of steam here at the end of her program but has nice speed in her camel spin
5. Elise Eng: 24.28 TES + 37.50 PCS -2.00  = 59.78 Total 103.02 and into 5th place 
1. She is currently in 11th place
2. She steps out of the landing of her first triple
3. She falls on the landing of her second triple
4. She falls on her double axel--the poor girl is having a rough skate but she seems to actually be fully rotating and landing these jumps, perhaps a confidence issue or her feet are just not under her today
5. A nice recovery to land a double jump
6. She has pretty positions in her spins and she is a fast spinner
7. Slight two footed landing on her next triple
8. A lot of reaching down in her step sequence but some nice accents with the music
9. Nice air position on her double axel but she turns out of the landing
10. Double double combination with a step out on the landing
11. Nice position in her camel spin, good low sit spin and nice flexibility in her upright spin all with good speed
6. Nicole Rajic: 24.44 TES + 33.71 PCS -3.00 = 55.15 Total: 90.78 and into 6th place 
1. She is skating to La Boheme and is currently in 12th place
2. She slips on the take off of her first jump and falls
3. She falls on the landing of her triple jump
4. Another fall on her next triple--I think the first slip really threw off her concentration but the audience is getting behind her
5. Some good positions in her sit spin
6. She lands a nice double jump
7. Double double and she hangs onto the landing of the second jump
8. She lands a nice double axel double combination
9. Nice speed through her spins but I'd like to see her stretch more through her free leg; you don't see many ladies doing the triangle position in their spins
10. Her step sequence seems a little slow
11. Low landing on her second double axel and she has to put her free leg down
12. I'd like to see her have a more definitive arm in her layback position
7. Lauren Dinh: 57.64 TES + 44.84 PCS -1.00 = 101.48 Total: 153.99 and into 1st place 
1. She is skating to Danse Macabre and is currently in 3rd place
2. She is starting with her layback spin and she is a very fast spinner and has some nice flexibility in her Biellman but I'd like to see her stretch her leg a little more
3. She falls on her first triple
4. Nice triple flip double toe
5. A very solid double axel
6. A very nice triple
7. A nice triple toe double toe
8. A nice low sit spin position but she could use a little more stretch through her free leg
9. A nice triple jump
10. Triple, double, double loop combo
11. Some interesting mores in her step sequence and I'd like to see her really put more into this sequence
12. Nice positions in her combination spin and great speed
8. Courtney Hicks: 62.37 TES + 51.01 PCS -1.00 = 112.38 Total: 173.22 and into 1st place
1. She is skating to Malaguena and is currently in 1st place
2. Great triple triple to start her program
3. A nice triple salchow
4. Great position in her layback spin but I'm still not crazy about her Biellman posiion
5. A nice easy double axel
6. I'd like to see a better camel position from her but the donut position is nice
7. Triple double double combination nicely done and very solid
8. Triple triple sequence
9. A fall on her triple lutz
10. Nice difficulty in her step sequence
11. Her final combination spin including the position she has invented called the Tw-Hicks
9. Mary Beth Marley: 44.17 TES + 45.10 PCS -1.00 = 87.27 Total: 137.82 and into 3rd place 
1. She is skating to Jealousy and is currently in 4th place
2. She starts with her double axel and turns out of the landing but doesn't put her free leg down
3. She falls on her first triple jump
4. She skates with so much speed
5. A little low on the landing of her next triple but she hangs on to it
6. A nice double axel double toe combination
7. She has great positions in her spins, nice flexiblity and good speed
8. A turn out of the first jump in her triple double combination but she keeps her free leg up
9. She falls on her next triple
10. A beautiful triple jump with a nice landing to recover
11. Really pretty layback positions and a nice Biellman
12. I really like the intensity with which she skates her step sequence and she has a really nice presence on the ice throughout this program
13. Great sit spin positions
10. McKinzie Daniels: 47.82 TES + 42.23 PCS -1.00 = 89.05 Total: 138.59 and into 3rd place
1. She is skating to Spartacus and is currently in 5th place
2. I really like her dress and it's very unique
3. She opens with a nice double axel double toe
4. She falls on her triple flip
5. Double toe double toe combination
6. I'm not crazy about the illusions that so many of the skaters are adding to their spin combinations especially since they can't execute them in a full split position
7. Not a lot of energy in this step sequence
8. A nice triple salchow
9. Another nice triple jump
10. Nice layback spin combination
11. Another nice triple jump
12. Nice landing on her final triple
13. Good positions in her sit spins to end the program
11. Polina Edmunds: 41.39 TES + 42.74 PCS = 84.13 Total: 132.91 and into 6th place 
1. She is skating to Come Fly with Me and Putting on the Ritz and is currently in 6th place
2. Nice solid triple to open her program
3. Her feet get tangled up in her next triple and she puts her hand down
4. Nice easy triple for her to recover
5. She has great spin positions and good speed but I'd like to see her work on her centering and the exit from the spin
6. Nicely rotated double axel double axel sequence
7. Really nice Biellman position in her layback spins
8. Triple double loop double loop combination
9. Good triple double combination but a little tight on the landing
10. I'd like to see her look up more and really perform this step sequence
11. Nice triple jump
12. I'd like to see a little more stretch through her free leg in the final sit spin
12. Katarina Kulgeyko: 47.66 TES + 45.88 PCS = 93.54 Total: 146.62 and into 3rd place 
1. She is skating to Nightmare Before Christmas and is currently in 2nd place
2. Did she delete a jump at the beginning?  It looked like she set up for one and skipped it
3. Her first jump was a double axel + triple toe
4. Nice spin combination
5. Triple double combination
6. She gets really low in her sit spin positions but a little bobble on the way out
7. Double jump
8. Double axel triple sequence but she turned out of the second jump
9. I'd like to see more energy and more performance from her in this step sequence
10. She has really nice landings on all those triple jumps
11. Double jump
12. Nice layback spin with a geat Biellman position