This is another event featuring veterans like Ando, who is attending her 6th Final and newcomers like Murakami in her first senior season.
Miki Ando has the highest scores of the season and more impressively skated a clean free at Rostelecom Cup with a back injury. She has come from behind to win twice and nails all of her jumps in her free. If she can improve her short program scores, she could guarantee herself this gold medal. Alissa Czisny has a personal best free skate and total score at Skate Canada to win the gold medal. She changed coaches in the offseason and it looked like the new coaching was having an effect. She has gorgeous lines, spins and footwork sequences but jumps have always been her downfall. She had a bad free program at Trophee Eric Bompard but was able to hang on for the bronze medal. She has one of the best and one of the worst scores this season out of this group and she can go either way depending on how her jumps are that day.
Kostner is also battling injuries this season and has taken most of the difficulty out of her jumps. Skating clean won her the gold medal at NHK, but she fell to bronze at Skate America and scored 10 points less. Without the technical difficulty, I don't think she can keep up with this field. Murakami is in the Final in her first season on the senior circuit. She scored nearly 15 points higher at her second event than her first. Her short program is a delight to watch and she is working on consistency in her free skate. Her program components are still at the bottom of the bunch but that is not unusual for a younger skater and she is one of the few ladies who attempts a triple-triple combination.
Suzuki had a solid Grand Prix season and really closed in on Ando in her second event. She took the lead after the short both times this season but was unable to avoid errors in her free skate which cost her the gold. If she can take out some of these small errors, she could top the podium here. Her program components are slightly lower than some of the other skaters, but she has made a real improvement this season, and I expect this number to rise. Flatt, who is normally the picture of consistency, has had problems with some of her jumps this season. She has won the free skate at both her events, but had to settle for silver both times. She was plagued with leg pain at Skate America and had to forego her planned triple-triple. If she has been able to solve her pain issue and can put the technical difficulty back in her programs, she is a podium threat. She has often been criticized for her artistry, but has made an attempt this season to improve her flexibility and performance and has been rewarded with higher program components.
My predictions in order of finish:
Gold: Ando
Silver: Suzuki
Bronze: Flatt
4th: Murakami
5th: Czisny
6th: Kostner
My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Miki Ando
B) Kanako Murakami
Information on the competitors in order of qualification:
Miki Ando, JPN: Ando placed 5th at the Olympics and 4th at the World Championships. She is the 2004 World Junior Champion and 2007 World Champion. She is the only lady to ever land a quadruple jump in competition. She won gold at Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup. She took home silver from the GPF last season. This is her 6th consecutive trip to the Final.
Alissa Czisny, USA: Czisny won Skate Canada with personal best free and total scores and took home bronze from Trophee Eric Bompard. This is her 2nd trip to the Final.
Carolina Kostner, ITA: She finished 16th at the Olympics, 6th at Worlds and is the reigning European champion. She has one silver and one bronze medal at worlds and 2 additional gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal at Europeans. She won gold at NHK Trophy and bronze at Skate America. This is her 3rd trip to the Final.
Kanako Murakami, JPN: Murakami is the reigning World Junior Champion. She won bronze at NHK Trophy with personal best scores across the board and gold at Skate America with a personal best free skate and total score in her first season on the Grand Prix. She won the JGPF last season.
Akiko Suzuki, JPN: Suzuki placed 8th at the Olympics Games with personal best short and free program scores. She also placed 11th at the World Championships and 2nd at Four Continents. She won silver at Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup. She took home bronze from the GPF last season. This is her 2nd trip to the Final.
Rachael Flatt, USA: Flatt placed 7th at the Olympics with personal best scores across the board and 9th at Worlds. She is the 2008 World Junior Champion. She won silver at NHK Trophy and Skate America.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Grand Prix Final--Mens Preview
This is a solid group of competitors and several of them could take the title. The field features veterans such as Takahashi, who is going to the Final for the 5th time, and newcomers, such as Amodio, making his first trip.
Kozuka has posted the highest scores this season and has plenty of momentum behind him, having improved his score by nearly 15 points in between his events. He skated two relatively clean programs and already has high program component marks, but I don't feel that he really connects and performs his programs. If he can do that, his second score could go even higher. Takahashi has the highest personal best scores out of the group, but he hasn't hit that mark since 2008. He has struggled with consistency in his jumps this season and lost nearly 8 points between events. His performance quality is unparalleled and even with jump mistakes, he can perform well enough to take the title. If he skates clean, the title could easily be his.
Chan has been plagued by jump inconsistencies all season, but strong program component scores have kept him in the medal hunt, and he won silver at Cup of Russia despite having 4 falls at the competition. He has added a quad to his programs this season and has one of the best long programs I've seen. With inconsistent programs he can land on the podium, but if he skated clean he could easily take home gold. I think the quads in his program have been throwing off his focus and he has struggled with the triple axel in the past and is continuing to do so this season. Verner is having a great come-back this season, and has removed his usually trustworthy quad from his programs to focus on consistency which seems to be working for him. He has some of the lower scores of this field even when skating clean, so the podium may be a reach from him, but he is considering adding the quad back into his programs which could push his technical score up.
Oda has also had problems with consistency this season, skating fantastic short programs but losing his focus in the long. When he misses elements, he also tends to improvise and tacking on too many combinations cost him the gold medal at Skate America. Oda will likely be fighting with Takahashi for the final podium spot. Amodio has tons of momentum behind him, having obliterated his previous personal bests at both his events this season and gaining a whopping 16 points between events. He is a great performer, but his program components are the lowest of the bunch (personally I think there are some choreographic problems with the program which keep this mark lower). His combined scores are well below the pack, and while I expect him to put up another personal best here, it likely won't be enough in this field to win a medal.
My predictions for order of finish are:
Gold: Kozuka
Silver: Chan
Bronze: Takahashi
4th: Oda
5th: Verner
6th: Amodio
My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Patrick Chan
B) Takahiko Kozuka
Information on the competitors in order of qualification is below:
Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: Kozuka placed 8th at the Olympics and 10th at the World Championships. He is the 2006 World Junior Champion and the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist. He won Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best free skate and total score. This is his 2nd trip to the Final.
Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: He won bronze at the Olympics with a personal best short program score. He is the reigning world champion. He has previously won gold and bronze at the Four Continents Championships and silver at the World Championships. He won the NHK Trophy and Skate America. He placed 5th at the GPF last season. This is his 5th trip to the Final.
Patrick Chan, CAN: Chan finished 5th at the Olympics and won silver at worlds. He is the 2009 Four Continents Champion and World Silver Medalist. He is the 2007 World Junior Silver Medalist. He won gold at Skate Canada with a personal best free skate and silver at Rostelecom Cup. This is his 3rd trip to the Final.
Tomas Verner, CZE: Verner placed 10th at Europeans and finished 19th at the Olympics. He was the silver medalist at Europeans in 2007 and won the title in 2008. Verner won bronze at Cup of China and gold at Rostelecom Cup with a personal best free skate. He placed 6th in the GPF last season. This is his third trip to the Final.
Nobunari Oda, JPN: He finished 7th at the Olympics and 28th at the World Championships after problems with jumps in his short program kept him from qualifying for the free skate. He is the 2006 Four Continents Champion and the 2005 World Junior Champion. He won silver at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America. He won silver at the GPF last season. This is his 4th trip to the Final.
Florent Amodio, FRA: Amodio finished 12th at the Olympics with a personal best short program and 15th at Worlds. He won bronze earlier this season at NHK Trophy with personal best free skate and total scores and silver at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board.
Kozuka has posted the highest scores this season and has plenty of momentum behind him, having improved his score by nearly 15 points in between his events. He skated two relatively clean programs and already has high program component marks, but I don't feel that he really connects and performs his programs. If he can do that, his second score could go even higher. Takahashi has the highest personal best scores out of the group, but he hasn't hit that mark since 2008. He has struggled with consistency in his jumps this season and lost nearly 8 points between events. His performance quality is unparalleled and even with jump mistakes, he can perform well enough to take the title. If he skates clean, the title could easily be his.
Chan has been plagued by jump inconsistencies all season, but strong program component scores have kept him in the medal hunt, and he won silver at Cup of Russia despite having 4 falls at the competition. He has added a quad to his programs this season and has one of the best long programs I've seen. With inconsistent programs he can land on the podium, but if he skated clean he could easily take home gold. I think the quads in his program have been throwing off his focus and he has struggled with the triple axel in the past and is continuing to do so this season. Verner is having a great come-back this season, and has removed his usually trustworthy quad from his programs to focus on consistency which seems to be working for him. He has some of the lower scores of this field even when skating clean, so the podium may be a reach from him, but he is considering adding the quad back into his programs which could push his technical score up.
Oda has also had problems with consistency this season, skating fantastic short programs but losing his focus in the long. When he misses elements, he also tends to improvise and tacking on too many combinations cost him the gold medal at Skate America. Oda will likely be fighting with Takahashi for the final podium spot. Amodio has tons of momentum behind him, having obliterated his previous personal bests at both his events this season and gaining a whopping 16 points between events. He is a great performer, but his program components are the lowest of the bunch (personally I think there are some choreographic problems with the program which keep this mark lower). His combined scores are well below the pack, and while I expect him to put up another personal best here, it likely won't be enough in this field to win a medal.
My predictions for order of finish are:
Gold: Kozuka
Silver: Chan
Bronze: Takahashi
4th: Oda
5th: Verner
6th: Amodio
My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Patrick Chan
B) Takahiko Kozuka
Information on the competitors in order of qualification is below:
Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: Kozuka placed 8th at the Olympics and 10th at the World Championships. He is the 2006 World Junior Champion and the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist. He won Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best free skate and total score. This is his 2nd trip to the Final.
Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: He won bronze at the Olympics with a personal best short program score. He is the reigning world champion. He has previously won gold and bronze at the Four Continents Championships and silver at the World Championships. He won the NHK Trophy and Skate America. He placed 5th at the GPF last season. This is his 5th trip to the Final.
Patrick Chan, CAN: Chan finished 5th at the Olympics and won silver at worlds. He is the 2009 Four Continents Champion and World Silver Medalist. He is the 2007 World Junior Silver Medalist. He won gold at Skate Canada with a personal best free skate and silver at Rostelecom Cup. This is his 3rd trip to the Final.
Tomas Verner, CZE: Verner placed 10th at Europeans and finished 19th at the Olympics. He was the silver medalist at Europeans in 2007 and won the title in 2008. Verner won bronze at Cup of China and gold at Rostelecom Cup with a personal best free skate. He placed 6th in the GPF last season. This is his third trip to the Final.
Nobunari Oda, JPN: He finished 7th at the Olympics and 28th at the World Championships after problems with jumps in his short program kept him from qualifying for the free skate. He is the 2006 Four Continents Champion and the 2005 World Junior Champion. He won silver at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America. He won silver at the GPF last season. This is his 4th trip to the Final.
Florent Amodio, FRA: Amodio finished 12th at the Olympics with a personal best short program and 15th at Worlds. He won bronze earlier this season at NHK Trophy with personal best free skate and total scores and silver at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Junior Grand Prix Final--Dance Preview
Monko/Khalivan's scores are well aboved the rest of the field. If they perform like they did earlier this season, they should easily win gold. The rest of the field seems more tightly clustered and have traded places on the podium throughout the season. Any one of them has a shot at the medal stand if they skate cleanly.
Stepanova/Bukin have beat Pushkash/Guerreiro and Kosigina/Moroshkin earlier this season.
Kosigina/Moroshkin have beat Lichtman/Copely and Antipova/Kudashev this season.
Lichtman/Copely have beat Sinitsina/Zhiganshin
Monko/Khaliavan have beat Sinitsina/Zhiganshin andGalyeta/Shumski earlier this season.
Pushkash/Guerreiro have beat Galyeta/Shumski and Antipova/Kudashev this season.
Antipova/Kudashev have beat Lichtman/Copely.
Galyeta/Shumski have beat Antipova/Kudashev earlier this season.
Competitors in order of qualification:
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavan, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists. They won gold at Brasov Cup and J. Curry Memorial. They won gold at their first trip to the JGP Final last season. Their personal best total score is 155.04.
Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin, RUS: They won gold at Courcheval and SBC Cup in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score is 130.08.
Ekaterina Pushkash/Jonathan Guerreiro, RUS: They finished 6th at the World Junior Championships. They won silver at SBC Cup and gold at Czech Skate. They finished 5th at their first trip to the Final last season. Their personal best total score is 136.80.
Charlotte Lichtman/Dean Copely, USA: They won gold at Cup of Austria and bronze at Pokal der Blauen. Their personal best total score is 129.96.
Evgenia Kosigina/Nikolai Moroshkin, RUS: They won bronze at Courcheval and gold at Pokal der Blauen at their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score is 126.92.
Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin, RUS: They won silver at Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial. Their personal best total score is 133.86.
Anastasia Galyeta/Alexei Shumski, UKR: They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships. They won silver at Brasov Cup and bronze at Czech Skate. Their personal best total score is 124.65.
Marina Antipova/Artem Kudashev, RUS: They won silver at Pokal der Blauen and placed 4th at Czech Skate. They placed 8th at the Final last season. This is their 3rd trip to the Final. Their personal best total score is 123.83.
Stepanova/Bukin have beat Pushkash/Guerreiro and Kosigina/Moroshkin earlier this season.
Kosigina/Moroshkin have beat Lichtman/Copely and Antipova/Kudashev this season.
Lichtman/Copely have beat Sinitsina/Zhiganshin
Monko/Khaliavan have beat Sinitsina/Zhiganshin andGalyeta/Shumski earlier this season.
Pushkash/Guerreiro have beat Galyeta/Shumski and Antipova/Kudashev this season.
Antipova/Kudashev have beat Lichtman/Copely.
Galyeta/Shumski have beat Antipova/Kudashev earlier this season.
Competitors in order of qualification:
Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavan, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists. They won gold at Brasov Cup and J. Curry Memorial. They won gold at their first trip to the JGP Final last season. Their personal best total score is 155.04.
Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin, RUS: They won gold at Courcheval and SBC Cup in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score is 130.08.
Ekaterina Pushkash/Jonathan Guerreiro, RUS: They finished 6th at the World Junior Championships. They won silver at SBC Cup and gold at Czech Skate. They finished 5th at their first trip to the Final last season. Their personal best total score is 136.80.
Charlotte Lichtman/Dean Copely, USA: They won gold at Cup of Austria and bronze at Pokal der Blauen. Their personal best total score is 129.96.
Evgenia Kosigina/Nikolai Moroshkin, RUS: They won bronze at Courcheval and gold at Pokal der Blauen at their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score is 126.92.
Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin, RUS: They won silver at Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial. Their personal best total score is 133.86.
Anastasia Galyeta/Alexei Shumski, UKR: They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships. They won silver at Brasov Cup and bronze at Czech Skate. Their personal best total score is 124.65.
Marina Antipova/Artem Kudashev, RUS: They won silver at Pokal der Blauen and placed 4th at Czech Skate. They placed 8th at the Final last season. This is their 3rd trip to the Final. Their personal best total score is 123.83.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Junior Grand Prix Final--Pairs Preview
Stolbova and Klimov and Takahashi/Tran have the most experience having competed in the Final last season, holding World Junior Championship medals and ompeting on the Senior Grand Prix this season. They have the two highest personal best scores with Takahashi/Tran having a slight advantage. Takahashi/Tran likely have the edge here, but the extra Grand Prix experience could also translate into fatigue. They are the first alternate to the Grand Prix Final so if a pairs team withdraws they have the option to compete in both events. Stolbova/Klimov have also beat Takahashi/Tran earlier this season and could do so again here. The rest of the field is significantly back but are on equal footing and have traded places throughout the season so it's anyone's guess who will take the third podium spot.
Stolbova/Klimov have beat Yu/Jin, Takahashi/Tran, Purich/Schultz, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz, and Jones/Gaskell earlier this season.
Takahashi/Tran have beat Purich/Schultz, Silaeva/Minchuk, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz and Jones/Gaskell this season.
Yu/Jin have beat Purich/Schultz, Silaeva/Minchuk, Steele/Schultz, and Jones/Gaskell.
Purich/Schultz have beat Silaeva/Minchuk, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz (twice) earlier this season.
Cain/Reagan have beat Silaeva/Minchuk, Purich/Schultz, Steele/Schultz.
Steele/Schultz have beat Cain/Reagan
Silaeva/Minchuk have beat Steele/Schultz and Jones/Gaskell earlier this season.
Teams in order of qualification:
Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning Junior World bronze medalists. They won JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial earlier this season. They placed 7th in their first JGP Final last season. They placed 5th in the Grand Prix debut at Skate America. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 159.79.
Yu/Jin, CHN: They won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and gold at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 138.66.
Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They are the reigning Junior World silver medalists and placed 5th at Four Continents. They won silver at J. Curry Memorial and Pokal der Blauen. They won silver at the JGP Final last season. This is their third trip to the JGP Final. They won bronze at NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup in their debut season on the Grand Prix. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 165.47.
Purich/Schultz, CAN: They won bronze at J. Curry Memorial and Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 131.77.
Silaeva/Minchuk, RUS: They placed 11th at the World Junior Championships. They won bronze at Pokal der Blauen and placed 4th at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 131.03.
Cain/Reagan, USA: They finished 6th at J. Curry Memorial and won silver at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 134.14.
Steele/Schultz, CAN: They placed 4th at the J. Curry Memorial and 6th at Czech Skate. Their personal best total score was achieved last season and is 128.86.
Jones/Gaskell, CAN: They placed 7th at the World Junior Championships. They placed 6th at Cup of Austria and 4th at Pokal der Blauen. Their personal best total score was achieved last season and is 133.41.
Stolbova/Klimov have beat Yu/Jin, Takahashi/Tran, Purich/Schultz, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz, and Jones/Gaskell earlier this season.
Takahashi/Tran have beat Purich/Schultz, Silaeva/Minchuk, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz and Jones/Gaskell this season.
Yu/Jin have beat Purich/Schultz, Silaeva/Minchuk, Steele/Schultz, and Jones/Gaskell.
Purich/Schultz have beat Silaeva/Minchuk, Cain/Reagan, Steele/Schultz (twice) earlier this season.
Cain/Reagan have beat Silaeva/Minchuk, Purich/Schultz, Steele/Schultz.
Steele/Schultz have beat Cain/Reagan
Silaeva/Minchuk have beat Steele/Schultz and Jones/Gaskell earlier this season.
Teams in order of qualification:
Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning Junior World bronze medalists. They won JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial earlier this season. They placed 7th in their first JGP Final last season. They placed 5th in the Grand Prix debut at Skate America. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 159.79.
Yu/Jin, CHN: They won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and gold at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 138.66.
Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They are the reigning Junior World silver medalists and placed 5th at Four Continents. They won silver at J. Curry Memorial and Pokal der Blauen. They won silver at the JGP Final last season. This is their third trip to the JGP Final. They won bronze at NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup in their debut season on the Grand Prix. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 165.47.
Purich/Schultz, CAN: They won bronze at J. Curry Memorial and Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 131.77.
Silaeva/Minchuk, RUS: They placed 11th at the World Junior Championships. They won bronze at Pokal der Blauen and placed 4th at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 131.03.
Cain/Reagan, USA: They finished 6th at J. Curry Memorial and won silver at Czech Skate in their first season on the JGP. Their personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 134.14.
Steele/Schultz, CAN: They placed 4th at the J. Curry Memorial and 6th at Czech Skate. Their personal best total score was achieved last season and is 128.86.
Jones/Gaskell, CAN: They placed 7th at the World Junior Championships. They placed 6th at Cup of Austria and 4th at Pokal der Blauen. Their personal best total score was achieved last season and is 133.41.
Junior Grand Prix Final--Ladies Preview
Many of these skaters are relatively new to the international circuit and are in their first season competing internationally. Shelepen and Gao both qualified for the Final last season and medaled. Sotnikova has the highest personal best score and enjoys a comfortable lead over the group. Tuktamisheva and Gao come closest and these three if they skate their best should easily outdistance the field and take the medals. Gong may be a little out of her league at this competition but hopefully that will push her to perform her best.
Sotnikova beat Gao, Siraj, Gong and Li earlier this season. Tuktamisheva beat Gao and Gong this season. Shoji has beat Shelepen and Li. Shelepen beat Siraj and Li earlier this season. Siraj has beat Gong this season. Gao has beat Li.
Competitors in order of qualification:
Adelina Sotnikova, RUS: Sotnikova won gold at JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 178.97.
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, RUS: She won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and Pokal der Blauen in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 172.78.
Risa Shoji, JPN: Shoji won gold at SBC Cup and silver at Czech Skate in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 155.23.
Polina Shelepen, RUS: She placed 4th at the World Junior Championships. She won silver at her first trip to the JGP Final last season. She won gold at JGP Courcheval and bronze at Czech Skate. Her personal best total score was at the Final last season and is 159.29.
Christina Gao, USA: Gao finished 8th at the World Junior Championships. She won bronze at her first trip to the JGP Final last season. She won silver at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at Pokal der Blauen. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 167.14.
Yasmin Siraj, USA: She won silver at JGP Courcheval and silver at J. Curry Memorial in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 161.75.
Kristiene Gong, USA: Gong won silver at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at J. Curry Memorial. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 134.32.
Zijun Li, CHN: She won bronze at Cup of Austria and placed 4th at Czech Skate in her first season on the JGP. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 148.26.
Sotnikova beat Gao, Siraj, Gong and Li earlier this season. Tuktamisheva beat Gao and Gong this season. Shoji has beat Shelepen and Li. Shelepen beat Siraj and Li earlier this season. Siraj has beat Gong this season. Gao has beat Li.
Competitors in order of qualification:
Adelina Sotnikova, RUS: Sotnikova won gold at JGP Cup of Austria and J. Curry Memorial in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 178.97.
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, RUS: She won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and Pokal der Blauen in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 172.78.
Risa Shoji, JPN: Shoji won gold at SBC Cup and silver at Czech Skate in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 155.23.
Polina Shelepen, RUS: She placed 4th at the World Junior Championships. She won silver at her first trip to the JGP Final last season. She won gold at JGP Courcheval and bronze at Czech Skate. Her personal best total score was at the Final last season and is 159.29.
Christina Gao, USA: Gao finished 8th at the World Junior Championships. She won bronze at her first trip to the JGP Final last season. She won silver at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at Pokal der Blauen. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 167.14.
Yasmin Siraj, USA: She won silver at JGP Courcheval and silver at J. Curry Memorial in her first season on the Junior Grand Prix. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 161.75.
Kristiene Gong, USA: Gong won silver at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at J. Curry Memorial. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 134.32.
Zijun Li, CHN: She won bronze at Cup of Austria and placed 4th at Czech Skate in her first season on the JGP. Her personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 148.26.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Junior Grand Prix Final--Mens Preview
I haven't seen any of these competitors this season, and some of them are new to the international circuit, so I'm not going to make any predictions about medals for the Final. However, there are a few observations that can be drawn:
Dornbush is the only man who has been to the JGP Final before. Messing has the highest personal best score out of the bunch but several other of the competitors have scores that are extremely close. Rogozine has beat Aaron twice and Gorshkov once earlier this season. Yan has beat Dornbush, Bush and Messing this season. Messing has beat Farris. Farris has beat Bush earlier this season. Dornbush has beat Gorshkov this season. Aaron has also beat Gorshkov. Bush has beat Dornbush earlier this season.
The competitors in order of qualification:
Andrei Rogozine, CAN: He placed 6th at the World Junior Championships last season. He won gold at both of his JGP Courchevel and SBC Cup to qualify for the Final. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 188.60.
Han Yan, CHN: Yan won JGP Cup of Austria and Czech Skate to qualify for the Final. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 193.62.
Joshua Farris, USA: He won silver at JGP Brasov Cup and gold at J. Curry Memorial. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 187.74.
Keegan Messing, USA: Messing finished 4th at the World Junior Championships. He won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at Czech Skate. His personal best total score was achieved at the World Junior Championships and is 197.03.
Richard Dornbush, USA: He finished 4th at the JGP Final last season. This is his third trip to the Final. He finished 4th at JGP Cup of Austria and won gold at Pokal der Blauen. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 195.23.
Max Aaron, USA: Aaron won bronze at JGP Courcheval and silver at SBC Cup. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 179.82.
Zhan Bush, RUS: He won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at J. Curry Memorial. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 176.64.
Gordei Gorshkov, RUS: Gorshkov finished 4th at JGP SBC Cup and won silver at Pokal der Blauen. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 185.84.
Dornbush is the only man who has been to the JGP Final before. Messing has the highest personal best score out of the bunch but several other of the competitors have scores that are extremely close. Rogozine has beat Aaron twice and Gorshkov once earlier this season. Yan has beat Dornbush, Bush and Messing this season. Messing has beat Farris. Farris has beat Bush earlier this season. Dornbush has beat Gorshkov this season. Aaron has also beat Gorshkov. Bush has beat Dornbush earlier this season.
The competitors in order of qualification:
Andrei Rogozine, CAN: He placed 6th at the World Junior Championships last season. He won gold at both of his JGP Courchevel and SBC Cup to qualify for the Final. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 188.60.
Han Yan, CHN: Yan won JGP Cup of Austria and Czech Skate to qualify for the Final. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 193.62.
Joshua Farris, USA: He won silver at JGP Brasov Cup and gold at J. Curry Memorial. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 187.74.
Keegan Messing, USA: Messing finished 4th at the World Junior Championships. He won gold at JGP Brasov Cup and placed 4th at Czech Skate. His personal best total score was achieved at the World Junior Championships and is 197.03.
Richard Dornbush, USA: He finished 4th at the JGP Final last season. This is his third trip to the Final. He finished 4th at JGP Cup of Austria and won gold at Pokal der Blauen. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 195.23.
Max Aaron, USA: Aaron won bronze at JGP Courcheval and silver at SBC Cup. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 179.82.
Zhan Bush, RUS: He won bronze at JGP Cup of Austria and silver at J. Curry Memorial. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 176.64.
Gordei Gorshkov, RUS: Gorshkov finished 4th at JGP SBC Cup and won silver at Pokal der Blauen. His personal best total score was achieved earlier this season and is 185.84.
Breaking Down the Elements--Short Dance
The short dance consists of 4 elements that must be performed from 2 minutes and 40 seconds and 3 minutes.
1. Short lift, maximum 6 seconds
2. Midline not-touching step sequence, cannot include the twizzles, sequence must incorporate mirror and/or matching footwork, both partners may cross each others tracings and may switch from matching footwork to mirror and vice versa, the partners should remain as close together as possible but they must not touch, the distance between the skaters should generally not be more than 2 arms length apart.
3. Set of sequential twizzles, two twizzles skated simultaneously with up to one step in between twizzles, may be skated anywhere in the program except in the required midline not touching step sequence.
4. Full sequence of the Golden Waltz, the sequence will be divided into two sections and each will be considered a required element and will receive a level and GOE, the Golden Waltz may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance and it may be started with section 1 (starting with step #1) followed by section 2 or with section 2 (starting with step #23) followed by section 1.
Notes: 1 additional lift up to 6 seconds without any requirements to level is permitted provided it is not illegal but only the first lift performed will be counted towards the level. The additional lift is considered in the choreography score.
The choreography of the Creative part may be the waltz, foxtrot, quickstep or tango. The required elements may be skated anywhere in the Creative part and may be used as linking movements between the Creative and Pattern parts of the dance. Because the dance should be choreographed as an integrated program, the Pattern Dance can be placed anywhere in the program. A dance that begins with the Pattern Dance part, and then simply changes to the Creative part, will be considered choreographically inferior to a program which integrates the 2 parts together in a seamless way.
2 full stops of up to 5 sec. duration each are permitted. Hops and jumps of not more than one rotation are permitted, but can not be performed simultaneously or in the step sequence. Kneeling or sliding on 2 knees is not permitted. It will be considered as a fall and the appropriate deduction will be applied.
A dance spin is not one of the required elements, but a spinning movement skated by the couple together in any hold around a common axis is permitted and is counted toward the choreography score.
1. Short lift, maximum 6 seconds
2. Midline not-touching step sequence, cannot include the twizzles, sequence must incorporate mirror and/or matching footwork, both partners may cross each others tracings and may switch from matching footwork to mirror and vice versa, the partners should remain as close together as possible but they must not touch, the distance between the skaters should generally not be more than 2 arms length apart.
3. Set of sequential twizzles, two twizzles skated simultaneously with up to one step in between twizzles, may be skated anywhere in the program except in the required midline not touching step sequence.
4. Full sequence of the Golden Waltz, the sequence will be divided into two sections and each will be considered a required element and will receive a level and GOE, the Golden Waltz may be skated anywhere in the Short Dance and it may be started with section 1 (starting with step #1) followed by section 2 or with section 2 (starting with step #23) followed by section 1.
Notes: 1 additional lift up to 6 seconds without any requirements to level is permitted provided it is not illegal but only the first lift performed will be counted towards the level. The additional lift is considered in the choreography score.
The choreography of the Creative part may be the waltz, foxtrot, quickstep or tango. The required elements may be skated anywhere in the Creative part and may be used as linking movements between the Creative and Pattern parts of the dance. Because the dance should be choreographed as an integrated program, the Pattern Dance can be placed anywhere in the program. A dance that begins with the Pattern Dance part, and then simply changes to the Creative part, will be considered choreographically inferior to a program which integrates the 2 parts together in a seamless way.
2 full stops of up to 5 sec. duration each are permitted. Hops and jumps of not more than one rotation are permitted, but can not be performed simultaneously or in the step sequence. Kneeling or sliding on 2 knees is not permitted. It will be considered as a fall and the appropriate deduction will be applied.
A dance spin is not one of the required elements, but a spinning movement skated by the couple together in any hold around a common axis is permitted and is counted toward the choreography score.
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