U.S. Nationals Senior Dance Preview

The only "sure thing" at this year's nationals is that Davis and White will win their fourth consecutive national title.  They've had a historic year, becoming the first U.S. team to win an ice dance World Championship, leading the first North American sweep of the World ice dance podium and becoming only the second team to win three consecutive Grand Prix Final titles.  Their Die Fledermaus free dance is stunning and 100% captures who they are as skaters and while they've been performing it solidly, there is still potential to improve.  While the title is almost certainly theirs, don't expect them to phone in a performance here, as they'll be using the opportunity to tune up for their next competition against their rivals and training mates Virtue and Moir.

The Shibutanis are also having a historic year, becoming the first team to medal in both their Grand Prix events in their senior debut last season and becoming the first U.S. team to medal in their World's debut.  They won their first Grand Prix gold this season and earned their first trip to the Grand Prix Final.  They have great speed and personality on the ice and some of the best twizzles in the world.  However, they have received some criticism this season for their free dance, with many saying it is too similar to last season.  They've also had a slow start and were beat on the Grand Prix circuit by teams they topped at Worlds.  If last season is any indicator, they'll continue to improve and nationals will showcase where they stand and how much they've improved.

None of the other teams in this field came close to the results the top two teams had and will be battling it out for the last two spots on the podium.  Three new teams formed in the off-season and had the opportunity to compete internationally.  Hubbell and Donohue won gold at their first international event, Nebelhorn Trophy and went on to finish 6th at Skate America with a 3rd place finish in the free dance.  They already look very polished and Madison Hubbell is finally able to show off the more sensual side of her skating that she had to keep under wraps while skating with her brother.  They have a great connection on the ice and really know how to entertain.

Chock and Bates are another new team this season and train with Shpilband and Zoueva in Canton, Michigan.  They finished 4th and 5th at their two Grand Prix assignments, solid results for such a new pairing. While their free dance came across as a little dull on the Grand Prix circuit, they've had time to work on their programs and will hopefully bring a little more spark to San Jose.

Samuelson and Gilles had only been training for a few weeks before they made their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China, finishing 8th.  With additional training time, they were able to pull off a gold medal finish at Pacific Coast Sectionals, scoring 30 points higher than their international results.  They seem to really enjoy skating together, were in much better shape at Sectionals and have really shown their potential as a team.

Kriengkrairut and Giuletti-Schmitt just missed the podium last season after a disappointing fall in their free dance.  They are a lovely team to watch with great lines and expression on the ice, but their scores internationally were slightly lower than some of the newer teams.  They are gunning for a medal and a spot on the Worlds team and that fire may give them the extra push they need to land on the podium.

Lichtman and Copely are the reigning Junior Champions and World Junior bronze medalists.  While their Austin Powers Free Dance should suit them perfectly, things haven't been clicking for them this season.  They seem to be struggling more with their 1 inch height difference which puts them at a disadvantage with other teams when it comes to lifts and holds in the step sequences.  They placed 7th at their Grand Prix debut in China, just ahead of Samuelson and Gilles, but finished 14 points behind them at Sectionals.

Other teams debuting at the senior level include Junior bronze medalists Cannuscio and McManus and Junior pewter medalists Olson and Cowan.  Schmucker and Munday are making the jump to the senior level after finishing 6th as novices last season.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Shibutani/Shibutani
Bronze: Hubbell/Donohue
Pewter: Chock/Bates

Bios of the competitors:
Anastasia Cannuscio/Colin McManus: She is 19 and represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  He is 21 and represents the Skating Club of Boston.  They placed 7th at Junior Worlds last season.  They finished 5th at Ondrej Nepela Memorial.  They finished 10th in Juniors in 2009, 7th in Juniors in 2010 and are the reigning Junior bronze medalists.  They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Isabella Cannuscio/Ian Lorello: She is 21 and represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  He is 21 and represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  They placed 7th at Skate America and won silver at Ice Challenge.  They are the 2007 Novice pewter medalists, finished 9th in Juniors in 2008, 5th in Juniors in 2009, are the 2010 Junior pewter medalists and finished 6th in 2011.  They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Ginna Hoptman/Pavel Filchenkov: She is 22 and represents the IceWorks Skating Club.  He is 25 and represents the IceWorks Skating Club.  They placed 10th in 2011.  They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Meredith Zuber/Kyle Herring: She is 21 and represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  He is 22 and represents the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club.  They placed 9th in 2011.  They won the pewter medal at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Carina Glastris/Kevin Allison: She is 16 and represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club.  He is 23 and represents the Skokie Valley Figure Skating Club.  They placed 11th in Juniors in 2011.  They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue: She is 20 and represents the Detroit Skating Club.  He is 21 and represents the Detroit Skating Club.  They placed 6th at Skate America and won gold at Nebelhorn Trophy.  They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.  They have the 10th best free dance score internationally.

Charlotte Lichtman/Dean Copely: She is 18 and represents the Arctic Figure Skating Club.  He is 22 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They placed 7th at Cup of China.  They placed 9th in Juniors in 2009, 8th in Juniors in 2010 and are the reigning Junior Champions.  They won bronze at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Anastasia Olson/Jordan Cowan: She is 19 and represents the Detroit Skating Club.  He is 21 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 6th at Nebelhorn Trophy.  They are the 2008 Novice pewter medalists, 2009 Novice silver medalists, placed 5th in Juniors in 2010 and are the reigning Junior pewter medalists.  They won silver at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Emily Samuelson/Todd Gilles: She is 21 and represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club.  He is 25 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  They placed 8th at Cup of China.  They won gold at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Brittany Schmucker/Adam Munday: She is 19 and represents the Tulsa Figure Skating Club.  He is 24 and represents the Stars Figure Skating Club of Texas.  They placed 6th in Novice in 2011.  They won pewter at Pacific Coast Sectionals to qualify for nationals.

Madison Chock/Evan Bates: She is 19 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  He is 22 and represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club.  They placed 4th at Skate Canada, 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard and won bronze at Finlandia Trophy.  They have the 9th best free dance and 10th best total scores internationally.

Meryl Davis/Charlie White: She is 25 and represents the Arctic Figure Skating Club.  He is 24 and represents  the Detroit Skating Club.  They are the reigning World and Four Continents Champions.  They won gold at Skate America and Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic silver medalists, 2010 World silver medalists, 2009 Four Continents Champion, 2008 Four Continents silver medalists and 2006 World Junior bronze medalists.  They are the 1998 Juvenile silver medalists, 1999 Intermediate Champions, finished 6th in Novice in 2000 and 2001, are the 2002 Novice silver medalists, finished 7th in Juniors in 2003,  are the 2004 Junior silver medalists, 2006 Junior Champions, 2007 bronze medalists, 2008 silver medalists, 2009 Champions, 2010 Champions and reigning Champions  They have the best short dance, free dance and total scores internationally.

Lynn Kriengkrairut/Logan Giulietti-Schmitt: She is 23 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club.  He is 26 and represents the Ann Arbor Figure Skating Club.  They placed 6th at NHK Trophy and won gold at Ice Challenge.  They are the 2007 Junior bronze medalists, finished 9th in 2008, 8th in 2009 and 2010 and 5th in 2011.

Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani: She is 17 and represents the Skating Club of New York.  He is 20 and represents the Arctic Figure Skating Club.  They are the reigning World bronze medalists and Four Continents silver medalists.  They won silver at Cup of China and gold at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.  They also won silver at Finlandia Trophy.  They are the 2009 World Junior silver medalists.  They are the 2005 Juvenile silver medalists, 2006 Intermediate Champions, 2007 Novice Champions, 2008 Junior pewter medalists, 2009 Junior silver medalists, 2010 Junior Champions and reigning silver medalists.  They have the 6th best short dance, free dance and total scores internationally.

Top Moments of 2011: March

Junior Worlds:

Alexander Majorov became the first Swedish man to medal at Junior Worlds with his bronze medal finish.

The Russian wonderbabies Adelina Sotnikova and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva cruised to a 1-2 finish with their strong technical content.

Sui and Han claimed their 2nd Junior World title.

Monko and Khaliavin won the dance title and Lichtman and Copely held off a Russian sweep of the podium.

Other

A huge earthquake rocked Japan and was followed by a devastating tsunami only a week before the Worlds were scheduled to take place.  The entire Japanese team was unharmed as were several of the skaters already in the county.  Eventually, the event was postponed and Moscow was awarded the World Championships.  See how I covered the aftermath here and here.

Pacific Coast Sectional Championships

Wednesday, November 16th
9:25-10:05 Novice Pairs Short Program
10:55-12:05 Novice Ladies Short Program
12:25-1:30 Novice Pattern Dance
6:30-7:45 Junior Men's Short Program
8:05-8:40 Junior Short Dance

Thursday, November 17th
11:30-1:05 Senior Men's Short Program
1:55-2:25 Junior Pairs Short Program
2:45-4:05 Novice Men's Short Program
6:00-7:20 Junior Ladies Short Program
7:40-9:20 Senior Ladies Short Program

Friday, November 18th
10:15-11:10 Novice Ladies Free Dance
11:30-12:55 Novice Ladies Free Skate
1:15-2:00 Novice Pairs Free Skate
2:20-3:50 Junior Men's Free Skate
4:10-5:10 Senior Short Dance

Saturday, November 19th
9:15-10:45 Novice Men's Free Skate
11:05-12:35 Junior Ladies Free Skate
12:55-1:35 Junior Free Dance
1:55-2:25 Junior Pairs Free Skate
2:45-4:50 Senior Ladies Free Skate
5:10-6:15 Senior Free Dance
6:35-8:30 Senior Men's Free Skate

Skaters to watch:

Novice Ladies: Karen Chen set the highest total regional score with an impressive 135.87.

Junior Ladies: Polina Edmunds and Katarina Kulgeyko competed at nationals last season and Kulgeyko took home a medal which earned her a spot on the JGP earlier this season.  Edmunds scored in the top 10 at regionals while Kulgeyko finished in the top 15.

Senior Ladies:  Caroline Zhang makes her bid for nationals after a Skate America and Ice Challenge assignment earlier this season.  Leah Keiser failed to qualify for nationals as a junior last season after winning the novice title in 2010.  She is competing as a senior this season and will be looking for a spot on the junior worlds team as she is not old enough to compete as a senior internationally.

Novice Men: Vincent Zhou and Kevin Shum set the top two regional scores with a comfortable margin.

Junior Men: Nathan Chen became the first man to win back to back novice titles and has moved to the junior level with a full repertoire of triple jumps and is working on a triple axel.  Four other skaters from this section competed on the Junior Grand Prix: Shotaro Omori, Philip Warren, Jay Yostano and David Wang.

Senior Men: Keegan Messing won Cup of Nice, Douglas Razzano finished 7th at Skate America and Jonathan Cassar finished 4th at Ondrej Nepala.

Junior Dance: Heritage/Fast and Pogrebinsky/Gudis who competed as novices last year move up to juniors this season.

Senior Dance: Reigning junior champions Lichtman/Copely face off against Olson/Cowan, Pilgrim/Lorello and Samuelson/Gilles

Cup of China Dance Preview

The Shibutanis had a record setting debut season, becoming the first ice dance team to medal at both their Grand Prix events in their first senior season and winning the bronze medal in the first North American sweep of the ice dance podium at Worlds.  They have a charming style on the ice and an infectious joy in their skating that is hard not to love.  In addition, they have amazing technical prowess, easily earning Level 4s on their elements with some of the fastest and cleanest twizzles in ice dance.  They're not quite at the level to catch their training mates Davis and White and Virtue and Moir but they're poised to take home their first Grand Prix gold.

Bobrova and Soloviev had a breakout season last year, earning their first Grand Prix medals, including one gold, and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.  They also won the silver medal at Europeans and finished in the top 6 at Worlds.  They struggled to find the right packaging last season and while their free dance was nice it was also forgettable.  With so many top Russian junior dance teams making the climb into the senior ranks, they'll have to take some risks if they want to maintain their spot at the top.

Lichtman and Copely are making their Grand Prix debut at this event.  They were the lone American team in the Junior Grand Prix Final last season and won the bronze medal at Junior Worlds.  They have the same coaches as the Shibutanis but I don't expect them to have the same breakout season the Shibutanis had.  Lichtman has very long limbs and can create great lines but she doesn't always use all that length to her advantage by really stretching through her legs.  They scrapped their original free dance and have switched to Austin Powers which suits them perfectly and should be a real crowd pleaser.

This is a weaker field than some of the dance events and gives Carron and Jones of France a chance to win their first Grand Prix medal.  They changed their free dance at Worlds to a Gershwin medley which was the perfect program for them.  If they can find this momentum early in the season they could have a breakout year.

I don't think the Chinese teams will contend for the podium here, but they have been taking notes from the North American teams and I was impressed at their improvements at Four Continents.  They're really pushing this discipline and I can see them catching up to the rest of the world by Sochi.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Shibutani/Shibutani
Silver: Bobrova/Soloviev
Bronze: Carron/Jones

Bios of the competitors:
Huang/Zheng, CHN: They finished 17th at Worlds and 6th at Four Continents.  They placed 5th at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 130.29.  She is 24 and he is 24.

Yu/Wang, CHN: They finished 7th at Four Continents.  They placed 9th at NHK Trophy and 8th at Cup of China last season.  Their personal best is 125.75.  She is 25 and he is 25.

Carron/Jones, FRA: They finished 12th at Worlds and 9th at Four Continents.  They placed 5th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 140.86.  She is 25 and he is 23.

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: They finished 16th at Worlds and 14th at Europeans.  They placed 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America last season.  Their personal best is 126.29.  She is 22 and he is 22.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: They finished 6th at Worlds and are the reigning European silver medalists.  They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Cup of Russia last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.  They are the 2007 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 161.14.  She is 21 and he is 22.

Lichtman/Copely, USA: They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They won gold at JGP Austria and bronze at JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 5th.  Their personal best is 133.36.  She is 18 and he is 22.

Samuelson/Gilles, USA:  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: They are the reigning World bronze medalists and Four Continents silver medalists.  They won bronze at NHK Trophy and Skate America last season.  They are the 2009 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 163.79.  She is 17 and he is 20.

Lake Placid Results

Senior Short Dance Group A

Pl.	Name	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue Detroit SC	50.24	26.65		23.59	6.11	5.68	6.04	5.79	5.86	0.00	#2
2	Anastasia Olson / Jordan Cowan Detroit SC / All Year FSC	48.65	28.86		21.79	5.46	5.29	5.50	5.46	5.50	2.00	#8
3	Anastasia Cannuscio / Colin McManus University of DE FSC / SC Of Boston	45.22	26.79		19.43	4.82	4.79	4.82	5.07	4.79	1.00	#4
4	Ginna Hoptman / Pavel Filchenkov Ice Works SC / Ice Works SC	43.37	24.71		18.66	4.75	4.43	4.71	4.64	4.75	0.00	#9
5	Tarrah Harvey / Keith Gagnon Centre of Excellence Vancouver / White Rock South Surrey SC	42.63	24.71		17.92	4.64	4.46	4.39	4.57	4.36	0.00	#1
6	Shannon Wingle / Timothy McKernan Arctic FSC	42.34	22.29		20.05	5.00	4.89	5.04	5.18	4.96	0.00	#6
7	Larissa van As / Troy Shindle Inlet SC / Inlet SC	35.48	19.93		15.55	3.96	3.89	3.82	4.00	3.79	0.00	#10
8	Anoushka Ritchie-Hervieux / Philippe Masse goulbourn / CPA Pointe-aux-Trembles	30.83	15.86		14.97	3.79	3.68	3.75	3.68	3.79	0.00	#7
9	Katherine Pilgrim / Alexander Lorello University of DE FSC / University of DE FSC	29.41	14.13		15.28	3.89	3.71	3.93	3.93	3.68	0.00	#5

Senior Short Dance Group B

Place	Name	TSS =	TES +	PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded -	Start #
1	Charlotte Lichtman, Arctic FSC Dean Copely, All Year FSC	53.06	31.71	21.35	5.36	5.21	5.36	5.46	5.29	0.00	#9
2	Isabella Cannuscio, University of DE FSC Ian Lorello, University of DE FSC	47.19	25.51	21.68	5.43	5.29	5.32	5.57	5.46	0.00	#4
3	Sarah Arnold, Detroit SC Justin Trojek, Detroit SC	45.87	25.79	20.08	5.18	4.89	5.04	5.21	4.82	0.00	#2
4	Meredith Zuber, University of DE FSC Kyle Herring, University of DE FSC	41.72	23.50	18.22	4.68	4.43	4.54	4.54	4.57	0.00	#3
5	Brittany Schmucker, Tulsa FSC Adam Munday, Stars FSC of TX	37.67	20.56	17.11	4.39	4.14	4.21	4.46	4.18	0.00	#6
6	Kristen Nardozzi, Stars FSC of TX Robert Cuthbertson, Stars FSC of TX	36.54	19.86	17.68	4.57	4.36	4.21	4.54	4.39	1.00	#10
7	Melissande Dumas, CPA Laval David McKay Perry, Minto SC	30.03	14.34	15.69	4.07	3.96	3.89	4.04	3.71	0.00	#5

Senior Free Dance

Pl.	Name	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Isabella Cannuscio / Ian Lorello University of DE FSC / University of DE FSC	76.12	42.48		34.64	5.89	5.46	5.79	5.82	6.11	1.00	#19
2	Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donohue Detroit SC	76.11	38.20		37.91	6.36	6.04	6.39	6.39	6.61	0.00	#17
3	Anastasia Olson / Jordan Cowan Detroit SC / All Year FSC	70.88	37.00		33.88	5.71	5.32	5.71	5.93	5.79	0.00	#4
4	Tarrah Harvey / Keith Gagnon Centre of Excellence Vancouver / White Rock South Surrey SC	68.92	37.21		32.71	5.57	5.14	5.57	5.50	5.68	1.00	#15
5	Anastasia Cannuscio / Colin McManus University of DE FSC / SC Of Boston	67.08	35.13		31.95	5.39	5.04	5.36	5.39	5.64	0.00	#8
6	Charlotte Lichtman / Dean Copely Arctic FSC / All Year FSC	64.54	32.86		33.68	5.71	5.57	5.43	5.68	5.68	2.00	#14
7	Shannon Wingle / Timothy McKernan Arctic FSC	64.49	32.66		31.83	5.29	5.14	5.36	5.36	5.50	0.00	#9
8	Ginna Hoptman / Pavel Filchenkov Ice Works SC / Ice Works SC	63.70	35.71		27.99	4.68	4.57	4.46	5.00	4.68	0.00	#5
9	Sarah Arnold / Justin Trojek Detroit SC / Detroit SC	62.94	34.21		29.73	5.07	4.71	4.93	5.11	5.11	1.00	#6
10	Larissa van As / Troy Shindle Inlet SC / Inlet SC	60.00	34.26		25.74	4.36	4.04	4.29	4.54	4.39	0.00	#18
11	Anoushka Ritchie-Hervieux / Philippe Masse goulbourn / CPA Pointe-aux-Trembles	58.07	33.94		24.13	4.14	3.79	4.04	4.14	4.14	0.00	#1
12	Meredith Zuber / Kyle Herring University of DE FSC / University of DE FSC	57.03	28.73		28.30	4.68	4.54	4.82	4.79	4.89	0.00	#12
13	Brittany Schmucker / Adam Munday Tulsa FSC / Stars FSC of TX	56.83	31.85		24.98	4.29	4.11	4.14	4.25	4.04	0.00	#2
14	Katherine Pilgrim / Alexander Lorello University of DE FSC / University of DE FSC	52.02	28.25		24.77	4.07	3.96	4.11	4.39	4.25	1.00	#16
15	Melissande Dumas / David McKay Perry CPA Laval / Minto SC	46.65	22.58		24.07	4.14	3.96	3.89	4.07	4.00	0.00	#7
16	Kristen Nardozzi / Robert Cuthbertson Stars FSC of TX / Stars FSC of TX	45.95	22.85		23.10	3.89	3.75	3.68	4.11	3.89	0.00	#10
17	Janine A. Halstead / Robert Knopf SC of NY / SC of NY	44.21	23.10		21.11	3.61	3.39	3.46	3.64	3.57	0.00	#13
18	Carina Glastris / Kevin Allison Skokie Valley SC / Skokie Valley SC	35.57	14.23		22.34	3.75	3.57	3.61	3.93	3.86	1.00	#3

Junior Short Dance Group A

Pl.	Name	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Lauri Bonacorsi / Travis Mager Peninsula SC / Ice Works SC	48.71	28.44		20.27	5.14	4.71	5.18	5.11	5.14	0.00	#3
2	Victoria Hasegawa / Connor Hasegawa CP Olympique / CP Olympique	48.51	29.57		18.94	4.75	4.64	4.71	4.75	4.79	0.00	#7
3	Kaitlin Hawayek / Michael Bramante Detroit SC / Detroit SC	46.50	28.28		18.22	4.46	4.36	4.61	4.61	4.68	0.00	#11
4	Abby Carswell / Simon Tanguay Scarboro FSC / Ahuntsic	43.44	27.28		17.16	4.36	4.14	4.46	4.25	4.25	1.00	#2
5	Madeline Heritage / Nathaniel Fast Portland ISC / Portland ISC	42.03	24.57		18.46	4.71	4.61	4.36	4.71	4.64	1.00	#4
6	Rachel Parsons / MIchael Parsons WA FSC / WA FSC	41.89	24.22		19.67	5.00	4.75	5.04	5.07	4.75	2.00	#6
7	Laurence Fournier-Beaudry / Yoan Breton CPA St-Lambert / CPA St-Jean	40.30	25.30		19.00	4.86	4.68	4.86	4.82	4.57	4.00	#13
8	Alicia Fortin / Matt Kleffman Owen Sound SC / Owen Sound SC	38.14	22.50		15.64	4.04	3.75	4.00	3.86	3.89	0.00	#1
9	Sarah Coward / Avidan Brown Pond FSC / Pond FSC	37.09	21.22		15.87	4.18	3.82	3.96	4.00	3.89	0.00	#10
10	Marieve Cyr / Benjamin Brisebois Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives / Ahuntsic	35.15	18.93		16.22	4.29	4.00	3.89	4.14	3.96	0.00	#15
11	Sarah Clarke / Steven Clarke Gloucester FSC / Gloucester FSC	32.73	18.43		14.30	3.89	3.54	3.61	3.61	3.29	0.00	#14
12	Jenna Dzierzanowski / Vinny Dispenza Panthers FSC / Panthers FSC	31.83	18.50		13.33	3.50	3.21	3.21	3.39	3.32	0.00	#12
13	Ramona Wright / Nicholas Taylor St. Moritz Ice SC	26.66	14.40		12.26	3.36	3.00	2.96	3.14	2.89	0.00	#5

Junior Short Dance Group B

Pl.	Name	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Alexandra Aldridge / Daniel Eaton Detroit SC / Detroit SC	52.74	31.00		21.74	5.43	5.39	5.46	5.39	5.50	0.00	#12
2	Lorraine McNamara / Quinn Carpenter Peninsula SC / WA FSC	45.34	27.14		19.20	4.75	4.64	4.86	4.86	4.86	1.00	#8
3	Jessica Mancini / Tyler Brooks Broadmoor SC / Broadmoor SC	44.42	26.00		18.42	4.75	4.57	4.71	4.57	4.46	0.00	#10
4	Andreanne Poulin / Marc-Andre Servant Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives / Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives	44.22	24.85		20.37	5.04	4.89	5.18	5.14	5.18	1.00	#5
5	Danvi Pham / Vu Pham WA FSC / WA FSC	42.76	24.36		18.40	4.57	4.57	4.57	4.71	4.57	0.00	#13
6	Danielle Gamelin / Alexander Gamelin SC of NY / SC of NY	42.59	22.86		19.73	4.82	4.75	4.86	5.00	5.14	0.00	#2
7	Elisabeth Paradis / Francois-Xavier Ouellette CPA Loretteville / CPA Les Lames D'Argent de Laval	41.47	23.65		17.82	4.54	4.39	4.32	4.64	4.39	0.00	#6
8	Cassandra Jeandell / Damian Dodge University of DE FSC	39.62	22.93		16.69	4.14	4.18	4.14	4.18	4.21	0.00	#14
9	Amanda Bertsch / Sam Kaplun Ann Arbor FSC / All Year FSC	38.27	22.21		17.06	4.29	4.14	4.14	4.43	4.29	1.00	#15
10	Cortney Mansour / Daryn Zhunussov Kazakhstan Ice Skating Federation / Kazakhstan Ice Skating Federation	36.51	20.08		16.43	4.14	4.00	4.07	4.25	4.07	0.00	#4
11	Josyane Cholette / Simon Proulx Senecal CPA Ste Julie / Club de Patinage Artistique de Saint-Hubert	36.47	20.22		18.25	4.46	4.29	4.68	4.61	4.71	2.00	#9
12	Elliana Pogrebinsky / Ross Gudis Peninsula SC / WA FSC	32.80	17.35		17.45	4.57	4.25	4.32	4.43	4.25	2.00	#1
13	Danielle Calthorpe / Paul Dredge Pond FSC / Pond	32.24	17.97		14.27	3.61	3.46	3.46	3.71	3.57	0.00	#7
14	Mackenzie Reid / Joseph Johnson WI FSC / Broadmoor SC	31.69	15.44		16.25	4.21	3.93	4.11	3.93	4.11	0.00	#3
15	Vanessa Wade / JoeBen Wilson All Year FSC / Stars FSC of TX	24.13	10.77		13.36	3.46	3.32	3.21	3.46	3.25	0.00	#11

Junior Free Dance Group A

Place	Name	TSS =	TES +	PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded -	Start #
1	Lorraine McNamara, Peninsula SC Quinn Carpenter, WA FSC	67.97	35.95	32.02	5.25	5.14	5.50	5.46	5.50	0.00	#11
2	Kaitlin Hawayek, Detroit SC Michael Bramante, Detroit SC	64.77	35.00	30.77	5.04	4.96	5.29	5.36	5.14	1.00	#9
3	Lauri Bonacorsi, Peninsula SC Travis Mager, Ice Works SC	63.28	31.71	31.57	5.43	5.04	5.32	5.21	5.43	0.00	#4
4	Laurence Fournier-Beaudry, CPA St-Lambert Yoan Breton, CPA St-Jean	62.59	33.78	29.81	5.11	4.79	5.00	5.04	5.00	1.00	#15
5	Rachel Parsons, WA FSC MIchael Parsons, WA FSC	61.45	31.93	29.52	5.14	4.86	4.79	4.93	4.86	0.00	#3
6	Amanda Bertsch, Ann Arbor FSC Sam Kaplun, All Year FSC	60.39	34.14	26.25	4.39	4.25	4.50	4.46	4.36	0.00	#7
7	Sarah Coward, Pond Avidan Brown, Pond FSC	55.98	29.23	26.75	4.57	4.39	4.43	4.50	4.43	0.00	#17
8	Victoria Hasegawa, CP Olympique Connor Hasegawa, CP Olympique	54.98	29.64	26.34	4.46	4.21	4.32	4.57	4.50	1.00	#2
9	Marieve Cyr, Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives Benjamin Brisebois, Ahuntsic	51.53	26.63	25.90	4.46	4.14	4.32	4.50	4.25	1.00	#6
10	Madeline Heritage, Portland ISC Nathaniel Fast, Portland ISC	51.34	25.55	27.79	4.68	4.68	4.36	4.82	4.57	2.00	#5
11	Alicia Fortin, Owen Sound SC Matt Kleffman, Owen Sound SC	47.28	26.29	22.99	3.89	3.79	3.71	4.00	3.79	2.00	#8
12	Abby Carswell, Scarboro FSC Simon Tanguay, Ahuntsic	43.77	21.21	23.56	4.04	3.86	3.79	4.07	3.89	1.00	#1
13	Jenna Dzierzanowski, Panthers FSC Vinny Dispenza, Panthers FSC	43.72	23.56	20.16	3.43	3.25	3.32	3.50	3.36	0.00	#13
14	Ramona Wright, St. Moritz Ice SC Nicholas Taylor, SC of Wilmington	40.17	21.79	19.38	3.39	3.04	3.25	3.46	3.11	1.00	#12
15	Sarah Clarke, Gloucester FSC Steven Clarke, Gloucester FSC	39.99	21.96	20.03	3.54	3.32	3.32	3.29	3.18	2.00	#16
16	Rachel Musselwhite, Skokie Valley SC Christian Wilson,	35.23	16.66	19.57	3.57	3.14	3.11	3.36	3.14	1.00	#10

Junior Free Dance Group B

Place	Name	TSS =	TES +	PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded -	Start #
1	Alexandra Aldridge, Detroit SC Daniel Eaton, Detroit SC	71.07	37.22	33.85	5.57	5.43	5.82	5.82	5.75	0.00	#2
2	Danvi Pham, WA FSC Vu Pham, WA FSC	60.89	31.70	29.19	4.71	4.82	4.89	5.04	4.93	0.00	#11
3	Andreanne Poulin, Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives Marc-Andre Servant, Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives	60.27	30.22	30.05	5.18	4.57	5.11	5.14	5.32	0.00	#1
4	Cassandra Jeandell, University of DE FSC Damian Dodge,	60.24	32.35	27.89	4.46	4.36	4.89	4.75	5.04	0.00	#15
5	Elliana Pogrebinsky, Peninsula SC Ross Gudis, WA FSC	56.83	29.28	27.55	4.57	4.46	4.61	4.71	4.71	0.00	#4
6	Danielle Gamelin, SC of NY Alexander Gamelin, SC of NY	54.65	27.68	28.97	4.93	4.79	4.57	5.00	4.86	2.00	#3
7	Jessica Mancini, Broadmoor SC Tyler Brooks, Broadmoor SC	52.59	26.61	25.98	4.61	4.25	4.07	4.50	4.21	0.00	#6
8	Josyane Cholette, CPA Ste Julie Simon Proulx Senecal, Club de Patinage Artistique de Saint-Hubert	47.76	25.56	22.20	3.96	3.43	3.86	3.71	3.68	0.00	#8
9	Elisabeth Paradis, CPA Loretteville Francois-Xavier Ouellette, CPA Les Lames D'Argent de Laval	47.03	24.07	24.96	4.21	4.11	3.86	4.29	4.36	2.00	#7
10	Cagla Demirsal, Berk Akalin,	44.76	23.80	21.96	3.75	3.68	3.61	3.61	3.61	1.00	#10
11	Danielle Calthorpe, Pond FSC Paul Dredge, Pond	41.26	21.12	21.14	3.61	3.46	3.57	3.64	3.36	1.00	#13
12	Catherine Culhane, Minto SC Simon Mondor, Club de Patinage de Deux-Rives	37.29	18.59	18.70	3.43	2.93	3.07	3.25	2.96	0.00	#14
13	Vanessa Wade, All Year FSC JoeBen Wilson, Stars FSC of TX	36.05	17.40	19.65	3.39	3.25	3.25	3.29	3.18	1.00	#16

Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships

Thursday, July 28 - Saturday, July 30, 2011
A few competitors of note:

Junior Short and Free Dance
Alexandra Aldridge/Daniel Eaton
Lauri Bonacorsi/Travis Mager
Danielle Gamelin/Alexander Gamelin
Kaitlin Hawayek/Michael Bramante
Madeline Heritage/Nathaniel Fast
Jessica Mancini/Tyler Brooks
Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter
Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons
Vu Pham/Danvi Pham
Elliana Pogrebinsky/Ross Gudis
Joylyn Yang/Jean-Luc Baker

Senior Short and Free Dance
Isabella Cannuscio/Ian Lorello
Anastasia Cannuscio/Colin McManus
Ginna Hoptman/Pavel Filchenkov
Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue
Lynn Kriengkrairut/Logan Giuletti-Schmitt
Charlotte Lichtman/Dean Copely
Anastasia Olson/Jordan Cowan
Shannon Wingle/Tim McKernan--free dance only
Tarrah Harvey/Keith Gagnon (CAN)
Sarah Arnold/Justin Trojek (CAN)

Complete list of competitors available here: http://www.lakeplacidskating.com/events/Practice%20Groups.pdf

Junior Worlds: Recap

Men: 
After a disastrous Canadian nationals, Andrei Rogozine was able to put together two strong programs here.  Although he didn't win either segment, his scores were good enough to give him the gold medal.  His opening triple axel + triple toe and solo triple axel in his free skate both received positive GOEs and really racked up the technical points for him.  He'll need to work on the quality and difficulty of his spins if he wants to make a splash at the senior level.  He hasn't aged out of juniors and can compete here again next season but young phenom Nan Nguyen who recently won the Canadian Junior title, will be aging in next season and could put up a big fight.

Keiji Tanaka won the free skate and the silver medal.  He had a nice GOE on his triple axel in the free skate and had Level 3s and 4s on his spins.  He could work on amping up his jump difficulty, but he is also eligible to compete as a junior next season.

Alexander Majorov became the first Swedish man to medal at the Junior World Championships with his bronze medal finish.  He has two triple + triple combos in his arsenal that give him a big technical bonus but his GOEs are barely in the positive range.  He'll be able to see how his scores compare with the best in the world when he competes at the World Championships in a few weeks.  This was his final season of junior eligibility.

Keegan Messing fell from 1st to 4th after a rough free skate in which he popped an axel and received no credit for a loop.  His short program showed off his jump arsenal and he does have a quad under his belt.  He'll be aging out of Juniors and looking to put his quad against the top men next season.

Max Aaron, who finished 5th is the only other top ten finisher who is aging out of juniors.

I had 0/3 exact predictions and picked 1/3 medal winners (Andrei Rogozine).

Ladies:
Russia's tiny phenoms proved just how good they are by finishing 1-2 at this event.  Adelina Sotnikova put together Triple Lutz + Triple Loop and Double Axel + Triple Toe combinations with positive GOEs en route to a technical victory.  She could work on the level of her steps and layback spin, but overall this young lady looks ready for an impressive debut on the Senior Grand Prix next season.  She won't be old enough for senior worlds next season, but will be looking to defend her title.

She'll be challenged by Elizaveta Tuktamisheva who took the silver medal here.  Elizaveta lacked some of the jump difficulty of Adelina, but is equal to most of the senior ladies out there.  Her step sequence is one area she could work on difficulty.  She'll likely be on the Senior Grand Prix next season as well.

Agnes Zawadzki came from behind to claim her second Junior Worlds medal.  Her normally strong jumps were judged under-rotated in some cases by a tough technical panel, but she did put out a seasons best free skate.  This is only her 4th international competition, and I've seen her confidence improve at each outing.  I wouldn't be surprised to see her take home her first Grand Prix medal next season.

Christina Gao dropped to 4th after having her double axel deemed under-rotated and in this deep field, not showing a triple-triple in her free skate cost her important technical points.  She's undergone some growth spurts this season that have caused her to adjust her jumps, but her style is more like Yuna Kim everyday.  As she gets her feet back under her again, I think she'll really start to rack up points and medals next season.

I had 3/3 exact predictions.

Pairs:
Discounting a fall on the side by side jumps at the beginning of their free skate, Sui and Han were perfect to claim their second Junior World title.  Their throw quad was slightly two-footed, but they've got closer to a clean landing at each competition and I expect they'll have it down by next season.  They are already one of the top senior teams in the World and can do elements that no one else in the world is doing.  If they can escape the age scandal, I expect them to continue their success as seniors next season and make a run for the World podium.

Stolbova and Klimov were able to move up a spot and claim the silver medal.  They have a lot of nice elements but are only doing double twists which will cost them a lot of points next season as seniors if they don't start executing triple twists.  They'll be on the Grand Prix next season, but they've aged out of juniors and with a very deep Russian field, they may have trouble breaking through and claiming spots at Europeans and Senior Worlds.

Takahashi and Tran took home the bronze medal.  Their free skate had several errors, including no credit on their spirals and problems on their side by side jumps.  I think the strain of so many events at the end of the season at two different levels is starting to show.  As they age out of juniors and transition solely to seniors, they'll be able to really polish their programs and perhaps repeat the success they had as seniors this season.

Cain and Reagan placed 4th with several nice elements.  She is very tall with long limbs and while this makes some of the elements harder, it also makes their lifts look fantastic.  They only execute a double twist and will need to up that element to compete with the seniors.  The US have several good pairs teams, but Cain and Reagan seem to be improving quickly and could make a mark next season at the senior level.

Other teams in the top 10 aging out are Purich and Schultz, Jones and Gaskell, Andrews and LeDuc, Gillespie and Dematte.

I had 3/3 exact predictions.

Dance:
Monko and Khaliavan won both segments to take home the gold medal.  They have a very nice style and nice lines while on the ice, but twizzles are one of their weaker elements.  They are aging out of juniors and will be in a good but young dance field in Russia.

Countrymates Pushkash and Guerreiro won the silver medal and will also be facing a tough field at home as they age out of juniors.  Their step sequences in their free dance only gained Level 2s but the rest of their elements were well executed and they had several high GOEs.

Lichtman and Copely took home the bronze medal to cap off a breakout season for this team to cap their junior careers.  They had all Level 3 and 4 elements except for the midline step sequence.  I expect them to continue to develop their technique under the watchful eye of Zoueva and Shpilband.  They'll do well as seniors next season, but the US dance field is so deep and almost all the top teams train with their same coaches.  These teams are also very young and not likely to retire any time soon, so it could be an uphill battle to get to Senior Worlds.

Zahorski and Miart finished a surprise 2nd in the free dance and 4th overall.  They had all Level 3 and 4 elements in their free skate and nice GOEs.  They can still compete as juniors next season and it will be interesting to see if they choose to take this momentum to the senior level or make a run for the Junior Grand Prix Final and Junior World Champion titles.

I had 3/3 exact predictions.

Overall: I had 9/12 exact predictions and picked 10/12 of the medal winners.

Junior World Championships: Free Dance

1. Monko/Khaliavin, RUS: 38.43 TES + 45.11 PCS = 83.54 Total: 144.16
2. Pushkash/Guerreiro, RUS: 36.92 TES + 41.96 PCS = 78.88 Total: 134.64
3. Lichtman/Copely, USA: 38.37 TES + 39.71 PCS = 78.08 Total: 133.36
4. Zahorski/Miart, FRA: 40.78 TES + 38.42 PCS = 79.20 Total: 128.16
5. Visnova/Csolley, SVK: 37.57 TES + 36.50 PCS = 74.07 Total: 126.07
6. Kosigina/Moroshkin, RUS: 36.04 TES + 38.51 PCS = 74.55 Total: 125.43
7. Cannuscio/McManus, USA: 35.36 TES + 36.60 PCS = 71.96 Total: 122.90
8. Orford/Williams, CAN: 36.65 TES + 35.76 PCS = 72.41 Total: 122.22
9. Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 36.87 TES + 34.70 PCS = 71.57 Total: 120.41
10. Shtork/Rand, EST: 33.35 TES + 34.91 PCS = 67.41 Total: 117.50
11. Bonacorsi/Mager, USA: 33.35 TES + 35.28 PCS = 68.63 Total: 117.26
12. Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA: 35.85 TES + 35.74 PCS = 71.59 Total: 115.56
13. Galyeta/Shumski, UKR: 29.92 TES + 33.74 PCS = 63.66 Total: 112.11
14. Elsener/Roost, SUI: 31.26 TES + 31.93 PCS = 63.19 Total: 110.39
15. Oliveira/Hockley, CAN: 33.39 TES + 31.13 PCS - 64.52 Total: 109.66
16. Dieck/Zenkner, GER: 32.79 TES + 27.54 PCS = 60.33 Total: 102.68
17. Uzurova/Ali, KAZ: 31.30 TES + 28.98 PCS = 60.28 Total: 101.98
18. Aiken/Whidborne, GBR: 32.08 TES + 28.38 PCS = 60.46 Total: 101.42
19. Nosulia/Kholoniuk, UKR: 29.72 TES + 28.27 PCS -1.00 = 56.99 Total: 96.35
20. Sforza, Fioretti, ITA: 27.28 TES + 25.35 PCS -2.00 = 50.63 Total: 89.36

Junior World Championships: Short Dance

1. Monko/Khaliavin, RUS: 32.57 TES + 28.05 PCS = 60.62
2. Pushkash/Guerreiro, RUS: 28.70 TES + 27.06 PCS = 55.76
3. Lichtman/Copely, USA: 30.15 TES + 25.13 PCS = 55.28
4. Visnova/Csolley, SVK: 28.34 TES + 23.66 PCS = 52.00
5. Cannuscio/McManus, USA: 26.93 TES + 24.01 PCS = 50.94
6. Kosignia/Moroshkin, RUS: 26.86 TES + 24.02 PCS = 50.88
7. Shtork/Rand, EST: 28.42 TES + 21.67 PCS = 50.09
8. Orford/Williams, CAN: 26.22 TES + 23.59 PCS = 49.81
9. Zahorski/Miart, FRA: 24.22 TES + 24.74 PCS = 48.96
10. Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 26.86 TES + 21.98 PCS = 48.84
11. Bonacorsi/Mager, USA: 25.56 TES + 24.07 PCS -1.00 = 48.63
12. Galyeta/Shumski, UKR: 24.72 TES + 23.73 PCS = 48.45
13. Elsener/Roost, SUI: 27.16 + 20.04 = 47.20
14. Oliveira/Hockley, CAN: 26.35 TES + 18.79 PCS = 45.14
15. Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA: 22.72 TES + 22.25 PCS -1.00 = 43.97
16. Dieck/Zenkner, GER: 25.22 TES + 17.13 PCs = 42.35
17. Uzurova/Ali, KAZ: 24.64 TES + 17.06 PCS = 41.70
18. Aiken/Whidborne, GBR: 21.64 TES + 19.32 PCS = 40.96
19. Nosulia/Kholoniuk, URK: 21.15 TES + 18.21 PCS = 39.36
20. Sforza/Fioretti, ITA: 22.64 TES + 16.09 PCS = 38.73
21. Zhang/Wu, CHN: 18.20 TES + 19.86 PCS = 38.06
22. Carroll/Gerber, POL: 20.96 TES + 16.25 PCS = 37.21
23. Kavaleva/Bieliaiev, BLR: 18.63 TES + 18.05 PCS = 36.68
24. Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: 16.53 TES + 16.03 PCS = 32.56

Prochazkova/Ceska of CZE withdrew as their skates did not arrive.

The top 20 teams (bolded) have qualified for the free dance.

Junior World Championships: Dance Preview

Monko and Khaliavin by far have the best scores of the season and easily won the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They are the only returning medalist from last season's Junior Worlds and they should easily win gold here.  I think they'll win by a comfortable margin that will set them up for a jump to the senior level and a tough Russian field.

Pushkash and Guerreiro from Russia have consistently scored behind their teammates but put up a big score at Russian nationals to make the team.  They have a great opportunity to set themselves apart from the other Junior teams by claiming a medal here.

Lichtman and Copely are the top U.S. team here.  They are coached by Zoueva and Shpilband, arguably one of the best coaching teams in the world.  I don't think this team looks as polished yet as some of the other teams they coach, but they've had a breakout season this year.  The U.S. Dance field is especially deep and they'll need a medal here to stay competitive as they move to the senior ranks next season.  I think the bronze is well within their grasp, but they tend to make small errors and if they can have two clean programs, they could definitely move up the podium.

Kosignia and Moroshkin will be looking to make this a Russian sweep, but there scores have been at both ends of the spectrum during the season.  If they perform like they did at Russian Nationals, they could be very competitive for a medal.

Orford and Williams of Canada and Galyeta and Shumski of Ukraine will also be in the hunt and should be able to pull together a top 10 finish if not better.  The Ukrainians were really consistent in their two JGP assignments but their score dropped considerably at the Final.  If they can take care of these problems, they may be looking at a possible medal.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Monko/Khaliavin
Silver: Pushkash/Bukin
Bronze: Lichtman/Copely

Russia's dance field is so deep that they are leaving behind three of the world's best junior teams, including two Junior Grand Prix Final medalists.  Stepanova and Bukin won two gold medals on the JGP and qualifed for the JGPF where they won bronze; Sinitsina and Zhiganshin won two silver medals on the JGP and qualified for the JGPF where they won silver; Antipova and Kudashev won a silver medal on the JGP and qualified for the JGPF.

The teams (a D indicates a direct entry)

Hew-Low/Hemmert, AUS:

Kavaleav/Bieliaiev, BLR: They finished 9th at JGP Romania and 11th at JGP Czech Republic.

Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 15th in the preliminary round at Europeans.  They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season.  They finished 32nd at the World Junior Championships last season.

Oliveira/Hockley, CAN (D): They finished 5th at JGP Japan and 6th at JGP Germany.

Orford/Wiliams, CAN (D): They won bronze at JGP Great Britain and finished 5th at JGP Czech Republic.

Zhang/Wu, CHN: They finished 6th at JGP Japan.  They placed 25th at World Juniors last season.

Prochazkova/Ceska, CZE (D): They finished 9th at JGP Germany and 6th at JGP Czech Republic.

Shtork/Rand, EST: They finished 23rd at the Olympics.  They placed 21st at Europeans.  They finished 8th and 6th at their two JGP assignments this season.  They placed 28th at Junior Worlds last season.

Karmi/Lindholm, FIN: They finished 14th at JGP Great Britain.

Papadakis/Cizeron, FRA: They finished 4th at JGP France and won bronze at JGP Austria.  They placed 22nd at World Juniors last season.

Zahorski/Miart, FRA (D):  They finished 4th at JGP Romania and won silver at JGP Czech Republic.

Dieck/Zenkner, GER (D): They finished 8th at JGP Japan and 14th at JGP Germany.

Aiken/Whidborne, GBR (D): They finished 9th at JGP Great Britain and 11th at JGP Germany.  They placed 15th at World Juniors last season.

Bugrov/Rogov, ISR:

Rizzo/Manenti, ITA: They finished 17th at JGP Czech Republic.

Sforza/Fioretti, ITA (D): They finished 6th at JGP Romania and 8th at JGP Germany.  They placed 31st at Junior Worlds last season.

Komatsubara/Mizutani, JPN: They finished 11th at JGP Japan and 15th at JGP Germany.

Uzurova/Ali, KAZ:

Pecherkina/Jakushin, LAT: They finished 13th at JGP Austria and 17th at JGP Germany.

Vellrath/Pirogov, LTU: They finished 14th at JGP Austria and 12th at JGP Czech Republic.

Yitig/Speden, NZL: They finished 20th at JGP Germany and 13th at JGP Japan.  They placed 34th at Junior Worlds last year.

Carroll/Gerber, POL:

Kosignina/Moroshkin, RUS (D):  They won bronze at Courcheval and gold at Pokal der Blauen to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 6th.

Monko/Khaliavin, RUS (D): They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They won gold at Brasov Cup and J. Curry Memorial to qualify for the JGPF where they won gold for the second year in a row. 

Pushkash/Guerreiro, RUS (D): They won silver at SBC Cup and gold at Czech Skate to qualify for the JGPF where they placed 4th.  They finished 6th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Visnova/Csolley, SVK:  They finished 9th in the preliminary round at Europeans.  They placed 10th and 7th at their two JGP assignments this season.  They placed 19th at World Juniors last season.

Hurtado/Diaz, ESP:  They finished 15th at Europeans.  They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season. They finished 16th at Junior Worlds last season.

Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 19th at Europeans.  They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments.  They placed 27th at the World Junior Championships last season.

Demirsal/Akalin, TUR: They are the reigning national champions.

Galyeta/Shumski, UKR (D): They won silver at Brasov Cup and bronze at Czech Skate where they finished 7th.  They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships last season. 
Nosulia/Kholoniuk, UKR: They finished 5th at JGP Austria and 10th at JGP Germany.

Bonacorsi/Mager, USA (D): They won bronze at JGP Romania and finished 5th at Great Britain.

Cannuscio/McManus, USA (D): They won silver at JGP France and finished 4th at JGP Japan.

Lichtman/Copely, USA (D): They won gold at JGP Austria and bronze at Germany to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.

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 Free Dance

1. Glastris/Allison: 23.43 TES + 24.38 PCS = 47.81 Total: 84.02
1. They are skating to West Side Story and are currently in 12th place
2. Their first set of twizzles were nice but the second set was slow and off unison
3. Nice fast rotation lift with her in a hair cutter position
4. A nice position for her in the backwards straight line lift but he struggles to keep his back leg up
5. The Dance spin really showed off her flexibility
6. I feel like they don't have enough connection to the music or each other and she has a huge grin on her face which is nice but doesn't convey the complexity of the story
7. A nice straight line lift with him in a spread eagle position and her held parallel to the ice
2. Wojton/Soyfer: 23.91 TES + 23.19 PCS -1.00  = 46.10 Total: 82.95 and into 2nd place
1. They are skating to Triplets of Belleville and are currently in 11th place
2. She's in a rainbow brite costume
3. Nice twizzles
4. Rotational lift with her in a hair cutter position.  I'd like to see a little more innovation in the lifts since this position has already been used 3 times in two programs
5. They both really need to stretch through their free leg in these step sequences and extend all the lines
6. They seem to have difficult with the dance spin since she's taller than him
7. On the straight line lift at the end I'd like to see more speed from him and more core strength from her
3. Dzierzanowski/Dispenza: 27.93 TES + 22.38 PCS = 50.31 Total: 75.67 and into 3rd place
1. They are skating to Lola and are currently in 13th place
2. She's skating with her shoulders hunched forward through the first section and even in the holds in the step sequence
3. She needs to really extend through her leg when its lifted in the air
4. Decent dance spin
5. Curve lift with her suspended over the ice
6. Awkward music change with a fade in the middle of a phrase
7. Interesting lift with him in a spread eagle and her with her leg over his shoulder
8. They start out very far apart on their twizzles and on the second set their free leg is barely off the ice
9. Nice one arm hold rotational lift with her held away from his body
4. Buckner/Taylor: 28.35 TES + 26.10 PCS = 54.45 Total: 93.96 and into 1st place
1. They are skating to Grease and are currently in 10th place
2. I like that they've really tried to embody their characters not only in the costumes but the hair and makeup as well
3. This step sequence seems kind of slow with this music and she has a slight bobble in one spot
4. A nice change of position in their rotational lift
5. I'd like to see her arch her back more in the two positions in the combination lift and really increae the dramatic wow value of the element
6. I'd like to see them having a lot more fun through the Greased Lighting section and really turn on the performance
7. He seems very wobbly in the twizzles
8. Really slow dance spin and in the arabesque position their legs are crossing oddly
5. Olson/Cowan: 40.01 TES + 32.91 PCS = 72.92 Total: 121.12
1. They are skating to Zoot Suit Riot and are currently in 6th place
2. Nice rotational lift with a variation on the hair cutter position
3. She is such a performer and this piece seems to really suit her
4. This is a really nice step sequence with good changes of hold and nice difficult and variation in the steps
5. A nice curve lift close to the group and she has a nice position
6. Nice fast dance spin with good changes of position
7. Nice twizzles with good speed and good positions
8. Flip into a lift that goes around his head and changes position
9. A nice variation on a swing lift at the end with her going over his head and through his legs
6. Heritage/Fast: 32.40 TES + 28.58 PCS -2.00 = 58.98 Total: 103.24
1. They are skating to Come What May and are currently in 7th place
2. There are some really nice moments at the top of the piece
3. They aren't very together on their twizzles but they were executed nicely
4. Great entrance into their first lift and he hold her by her foot and swings her around.  I like that there was no big set up for the lift and it takes you by surprise
5. She needs to really get into her knees on the step sequence and make her steps bigger so it doesn't look like shes bouncing on the ice
6. They're traveling a lot on the dance spin
7. She also has a tendency to sickle her free foot which destroys the leg line
8. Nice arch in this lift with him in a spread eagle and a nice transition into the rotational lift with one arm hold
9. I'd like to see them really connect to each other in this piece because the choreography is really nice and they have some really nice elements but they don't really portray that they're a couple in love
10. A Davis and White esque lift at the end of the program
11. Not really sure what happened but they both fall to the ice at the end of their program and it takes them a little bit to get up
7. Gamelin/Gamelin: 34.28 TES + 35.44 PCS -1.00 = 64.72 Tota: 108.67 and into 2nd place
1. They are skating to Smooth and are currently in 8th place
2. Nice opening lift with her upside down and he in a spread eagle and I like that she adds a little personality to the lift with a shimmy
3. Nice fast twizzles with some difficult, interesting positions
4. Interesting dance spin variatiojns with good speed and centering
5. They tend to not have the cleanest transitions out of elements and I'd like to see them work on these
6. Nice split rotational lift
7. She needs to really stretch through her free leg to get it all the way straight
8. This program seems to really suit her as she performs it well and her body looks very natrual executing the elements
9. A very fun program and nicely done
8. McNamara/Carpenter: 32.59 TES + 30.60 PCS = 63.19 Total: 102.99 and into 4th place
1. They are skating to Charlie Chaplin and are currently in 9th place
2. They start off with their twizzles, both sets done on the same foot and good unison
3. Their first lift is a straight line with her extended out over his legs
4. Rotational lift in the hair cutter position
5. Some nice positions from them in the dance spin
6. They will be 12 and 15 next month--their programs lack a little of the polish of some of the older teams but they are very advanced for their age
9. Bonacorsi/Mager: 38.72 TES + 36.28 PCS = 75.00 Total: 127.39 and into 1st place
1. They are skating to Cuban Pete and Business of Love and are currently in 3rd place
2. Really great speed in their dance spin and nice positions
3. Good unison on their twizzles, they do 3 sets for the level
4. Good speed and flow through their step sequence
5. Nice one arm hold rotational lift
6. Great lift with her on one of his skates and almost laying on the ice
10. Aldridge/Eaton: 35.78 TES + 33.95 PCS -1.00 = 68.74 Total: 120.64 and into 3rd place
1. They are skating to Dramatico and are currently in 5th place
2. I love her dress and I like that their costumes match each other in terms of time period but aren't matchy matchy
3. Really nice lift with her over his shoulder and leaning back and he skating on one foot
4. They hop into thier twizzles and are very close together and have very fast rotations
5. She takes a fall on some transition movements and he has trouble getting her back up
6. They recover nicely into their next lift with him in a spread eagle
7. A nice one arm hold rotational lift
8. Some nice positions in their dance spin
9. They have some really nice edge work in their step sequences
11. Cannuscio/McManus: 35.36 TES + 35.25 PCS = 70.61 Total: 122.86 and into 2nd place
1. They are skating to Carmen and currently in 4th place
2. Nice opening lift with a good position change
3. Their step sequence goes really well with their music and they have some nice arm nuances that accent the character of their piece
4. Nice upside down variation of the hair cutter position for their second lift
5. Nice positions in their dance spin but they're a little slow, they have some really unique variations that are lovely
6. I love the contrast between the two step sequences and how well each one shows off the nature of the music
7. A nice one arm hold rotational lift near the end of their program
12. Lichtman/Copely: 39.57 TES + 37.48 PCS = 77.05 Total: 132.28 and into 1st place
1. They are skating to Beetlejuice and are currently in 2nd place
2. Really unique first position in their dance spin and I like that there's not a huge break before the change of direction
3. They have nice speed through their first step sequence
4. He stumbles out of the second set of twizzles
5. Flip into their first lift with a nice exit--one of the things I like most about Zoueva/Shpilband teams is that the entrances and exits to the lifts are always innovative and a highlight
6. This step sequence is really intresting in that they have varied steps
7. She's doing a needle in this lift
8. Haircutter variation around his body with fast rotations
9. This lift at the end is really neat and looks very difficult
13. Yang/Baker: 29.86 TES + 34.04 PCS -1.00 = 62.90 Total: 118.99 and into 6th place
1. They are skating to Windmills of Your Mind and are currently in 1st place
2. They have nice positions in their dance spin
3. She falls on their twizzles halfway through their first set and can't get up in time to do the second set, they'll lose major points on that
4. Flip into a nice spread eagle lift with change of position
5. One armed rotational lift
6. I find this music distracting--I almost wish they would cut the speaking voice and just use the instrumental
7. Nice attitude position in their next lift for her
8. She has really nice quality of movement and a very lyrical expression
9. I didn't really love this program but they have so much potential and so much talent that I think if they can find the right vehicle they could be pheonomenal