Ice Champions Live!

Ryan Bradley meeting with fans after the performance.

This event benefited the Michael Weiss Foundation and is currently in it's 8th year.  The Foundation has given out over $455,000 in scholarships to skaters to help with their training expenses.  Weiss started the Foundation as a way to give back after seeing how difficult it was for his family to meet his training expenses.  The Foundation is a family affair with his brother-in-law emceeing the show along with several family members selling programs, working the auction and setting up the meet and greet area with the skaters.

The show was kicked off by local novice skater Elise Romola, who will compete at the Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City next week.  Skating to Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen she showcased two pretty double axels and nice spins in addition to great personality on the ice.  After her performance, she received a large cheer from the hometown crowd.  She described participating at this event "amazing" and said that "it inspires you to skate with this level of talent."

Gigi and Luca Becker are the reigning U.S. Intermediate Dance Champions and hail from Bethesda, MD.  They had lovely spins and a nice straight line lift as well as lovely ease on the ice.  Two of their most impressive elements were three sets of twizzles and a change of position rotational lift.  Having attended this event as spectators the last two years, they are first time recipients of the Michael Weiss Scholarship and first time performers at this event.   They called skating in the show "an honor" and "amazing."  "It's so fun to skate with Olympic Champions.  I never thought I'd meet Richard Dornbush.  I even had a conversation with John Kerr."  

Two time U.S. Bronze Medalist Dan Hollander debuted his new Popeye program and started by mopping the ice.  He showcased an incredibly high double axel along with some inventive spins.  His sailor dance section in the middle was very entertaining, especially after he needed some spinach to get through a turbo speed section which ended with a back flip.

Rachel and Michael Parsons are the reigning U.S. Junior Pewter Medalists and train alongside the Beckers in Wheaton, MD.  They'll make their Junior Grand Prix debut in Austria this week and showcased their new hip hop and blues short dance.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was Richard Dornbush's nerd inspired Let's Get It On/Stayin Alive program.  He landed a nice triple axel as well as a triple loop along with three double axels in a row.  He is a master showman and really got the crowd laughing along with toe pick walks and boogie arms along with the worm.  Afterward, Dornbush said that he really enjoyed the show, especially getting to be around all of his idols and have a great time in a non-competitive environment.

2008 U.S. Ladies Champion Mirai Nagasu skated a gorgeous program to "Crazy Dreams."  She floated across the ice and seemed like a dancer with great arm movements and wonderful timing with the music.  She ended her program with an impressive Biellman spin that she brought back down to a haircutter.

Ryan Bradley, the 2011 U.S. Men's Champion had the crowd screaming for his "Footloose" program with a quad and a triple axel along with a back flip.  His only fluke in the program was a fall on a spin but in typical fashion he played it off and was laughing at himself as he got back into his program.  

British ice dancer John Kerr performed solo at this event after his sister and partner Sinead had a conflict at the last minute and couldn't attend.  He mimed dancing with a partner at points in his Rat Pack inspired program and even landed an axel!

Skating to Nessun Dorma, Olympic Champion Brian Boitano landed a huge double axel and performed a spread eagle that went halfway around the rink.  His music and his skating filled the rink for an impressive performance.

Ashley Wagner, the reigning U.S. Ladies Champion showcased her new Philip Mills choreographed short program to the "Red Violin."  She landed a triple lutz, triple loop and a gorgeous double axel along with nice positions in her spin and an intricate step sequence.  She had great intensity and confidence in her program and it was a hit with the audience.

Stephen Cousins, Kimmie Meissner, The Next Ice Age and Capitol Steps also performed at this year's show.

Michael Weiss, himself a two-time Olympian, closed the evening with his daughter Annie Mae singing "Don't You Remember" by Adele.  After her impressive vocal performance, Weiss returned to the ice and showcased his signature athletic moves including a headstand, spread eagle on his heels and an x-out backflip.  For the curtain call, Weiss was joined by Hollander and Bradley for simultaneous back flips.

The Becker siblings said that the scholarship makes it "easier for [our] mom to send us to lessons."  But Dornbush reiterated that it's more than just the money that makes a difference.  "It's great to have these people behind you...After my short program at nationals [where he finished 17th], Michael made the time to talk to me and I really appreciated that."

For the older skaters, the show gives them an opportunity to inspire the next generation.  "It feels like just yesterday I was looking up," said Bradley.  "Michael Weiss came to my club show [in St. Joseph, MO] when I was nine, so it's cool to come back and do his show."  Nagasu's advice is "I wish them the best of luck and tell them to have fun.  It's all about the journey."

JGP Austria Pairs Preview

Yu and Jin of China are by far the favorites of this event.  They won two silver medals on the JGP last season and are the reigning World Junior Silver Medalists.  With Sui and Han moving up to seniors, they are the top Chinese team on the junior circuit and have the ability to pull up and claim their first gold medals.

Simpson and Blackmer impressed in their JGP debut last season and became the first U.S. pairs team to win gold on the JGP in several years.  They medaled at their 2nd assignment and then the Final but fell to 2nd at U.S. nationals and did not make the podium at Junior Worlds.  They'll be looking to put the 2nd half of their season behind them and reclaim their place as the top U.S. junior pairs team.

Calalang and Sidhu earned their first JGP medal last season and a trip to the Final but had to withdraw due to injury.  At U.S. nationals they finished a heartbreaking 4th after some mistakes in their free skate and did not qualify for the Junior Worlds team.

Fedorova and Miroshkin did not land on the medal stand at their sole event last season but their scores are good enough to keep them in medal contention.  Their teammates Tudvaseva and Lisiev replaced Calalang and Sidhu at the JGPF but were inconsistent in their results all season.

The three Canadian teams are all making their JGP debuts but pose a medal threat here.  Bell and Sylvester are the reigning Canadian novice champions and their performance at nationals was impressive enough to earn them a spot on the Junior Worlds team where they finished 12th.  Jones and Beharry and Purich and Arcieri are new teams this season.  Beharry won silver at the JGP Final with his former partner last season while Jones competed on the Senior Grand Prix.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Yu/Jin
Silver: Simpson/Blackmer
Bronze: Jones/Beharry

Bios of the competitors:
Smyth/Dodds, AUS: They placed 14th at JGP USA.  Their personal best is 64.93.  She is 14 and he is 18.

Ilieva/Savinov, BUL: The finished 15th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  This is their JGP debut.  She is 16 and he is 20.

Bell/Sylvester, CAN: They finished 12th at Junior Worlds.  This is their JGP debut.  She is 16 and he is 17.

Jones/Beharry, CAN: This is their JGP debut.  She is 16 and he is 20.

Purich/Arcieri, CAN: This is their JGP debut.  She is 17 and he is 18.

Li/Jiang, CHN: They placed 9th at Junior Worlds.  They finished 10th at JGP Latvia and 4th at JGP Austria last season.  Their personal best is 138.92.  She is 14 and he is 20.

Yu/Jin, CHN: They are the reigning World Junior Silver Medalists.  They finished 7th at Skate Canada and 6th at Cup of China last season.  They won silver at JGP Latvia and JGP Austria last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they placed 5th.  Their personal best is 167.48.  She is 16 and he is 18.

Cernuschi/Ambrosini, ITA: They placed 20th at Junior Worlds.  This is their JGP debut.  She is 15 and he is 19.

Fedorova/Miroshkin, RUS: They placed 5th at JGP Austria last season.  Their personal best is 134.88.  She is 14 and he is 18.

Tusvaseva/Lisiev, RUS: They placed 5th at JGP Latvia and won bronze at JGP Poland last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they finished 6th.  Their personal best is 133.79.  She is 15 and he is 19.

Vigalova/Zakroev, RUS: This is their international debut.

Lavrentieva/Rudik, UKR: They finished 14th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 13th at JGP France.  Their personal best is 110.03.  She is 15 and he is 20.

Calalang/Sidhu, USA: They placed 4th at JGP Poland and won bronze at JGP Estonia last season to qualify for the JGP Final but had to withdraw due to injury.  Their personal best is 139.32.  She is 17 and he is 20.

De la Mora/Wilson, USA: This is their international debut.  She is 13 and he is 20.

Simpson/Blackmer, USA: They placed 10th at Junior Worlds.  They won gold at JGP Poland and silver at JGP Estonia last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they won bronze.  Their personal best is 146.35.  She is 16 and he is 20.

JGP Austria Ladies Preview

Elena Radionova won the gold at her JGP debut in France and this 13 year old lived up to her hype chock full of triples and barely missing the 180 mark for her effort.  If she can replicate those programs she should have an easy time winning gold here and securing her spot in the JGP Final.

Samantha Cesario has struggled with injury the past few seasons but managed to win two bronze medals on the JGP last season.  This is her last year of junior eligibility and she's aiming for an injury free season.  She's kept her programs from last season and they won her rave reviews in her winning performances at the Liberty Summer Competition.

Hannah Miller won the bronze last season in Italy and will try to add to her medal haul here.  She won the 2011 U.S. Novice title but struggled a bit last season and almost missed qualifying for nationals at the junior level.  She ended up winning the bronze medal at nationals which earned her another shot at the JGP.  She has a nice performance quality on the ice but her jumps can sometimes get her in trouble as she doesn't get the height to fully rotate them confidently every time.  If she can land her jumps, she has a good shot at a medal.

Hae Jin Kim of Korea stormed on to the JGP last season with some impressive performances, including winning the short program in Australia but she struggled to put together two clean programs and really break out.  She won a bronze medal on the JGP last season and finished 8th at Junior Worlds but she'll need to skate cleanly here if she wants to improve on last season's performances.

Risa Shoji really struggled at the end of last season.  After her two silver medals earned her a trip to the JGP Final she dropped to 20th place at Junior Worlds, shocking after her 5th place finish the season before.  She'll be looking to redeem herself here and earn a 3rd consecutive trip to the Final.

Ziquan Zhao really struggled in France earlier this season but if she can skate like she did last season she'll be in the medal hunt as well.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Elena Radionova
Silver: Samantha Cesario
Bronze: Hannah Miller

Bios of the competitors:
Sophie Almassy, AUT: This is her international debut.

Nina Larissa Wolfslast, AUT: She placed 16th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 92.26.  She is 16 years old.

Kristina Isabel Yntema, AUT: She placed 17th at JGP France.  Her personal best is 93.03.  She is 13 years old.

Anais Claes, BEL: She placed 29th at JGP Latvia and 27th at JGP Italy last season.  Her personal best is 82.03.  She is 17 years old.

Gabrielle Daleman, CAN: This is her JGP debut.  She is 14 years old.

Ziquan Zhao, CHN: She placed 11th at Junior Worlds.  She finished 10th at JGP France.  Her personal best is 143.92.  She is 14 years old.

Levana Wu, TPE: This is her international debut.

Valentina Mikac, CRO: This is her JGP debut.  She is 15 years old.

Eliska Brezinova, CZE: She placed 23rd in the preliminary round at Worlds and 18th in the preliminary round at Europeans.  She finished 17th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 101.70.  She is 16 years old.

Jasmine Alexandra Costa, EST: She placed 19th at JGP Poland last season.  Her personal best is 120.56.  She is 18 years old.

Seidi Rantanen, FIN: This is her JGP debut.  She is 17 years old.

Nathalie Weinzierl, GER: She placed 22nd at Europeans.  Her personal best is 115.89.  She is 18 years old.

Vala Run Magnusdottir, ISL: This is her JGP debut.  She is 15 years old.

Agnese Garlisi, ITA: She placed 13th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 100.33.  She is 18 years old.

Yuka Nagai, JPN: This is her international debut.

Risa Shoji, JPN: She placed 20th at Junior Worlds.  She won silver at JGP Australia and JGP Estonia last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she finished 6th.  Her personal best is 157.83.  She is 16 years old.

Kristine Gaile, LAT: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old.

Inga Januleviciute, LTU: She finished 16th in the preliminary round at Worlds and 13th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  She placed 18th at JGP Estonia last season.  Her personal best is 94.29.  She is 17 years old.

Mila Morelissen, NED: This is her JGP debut.  She is 16 years old.

Camilla Gjersem, NOR: She finished 16th in the preliminary round at Europeans.  She placed 15th at JGP France.  Her personal best is 105.32.  She is 18 years old.

Hae Jin Kim, KOR: She placed 8th at Junior Worlds.  She finished 5th at JGP Australia and won bronze at JGP Romania last season.  Her personal best is 149.71.  She is 15 years old.

Elena Radionova, RUS: She won gold at JGP France.  Her personal best is 177.79.  She is 13 years old.

Maria Stavitskaia, RUS: She placed 6th at JGP Estonia last season.  Her personal best is 130.92.  She is 15 years old.

Monika Simancikova, SVK: She placed 14th at Europeans and 15th at Junior Worlds.  She finished 10th at JGP Poland and 9th at JGP Estonia last season.  Her personal best is 136.79.  She is 17 years old.

Patricia Glescic, SLO: She placed 15th in the preliminary round at Europeans and 17th at Junior Worlds.  Her personal best is 125.46.  She is 18 years old.

Simonn Erwee, RSA: This is her international debut.  She is 13 years old.

Gabriella Josefsson, SWE: This is her JGP debut.  She is 17 years old.

Laure Nicodet, SUI: This is her JGP debut.  She is 14 years old.

Promsan Rattanadilok Na Phuket, THA: This is her JGP debut.  She is 13 years old.

Natalia Popova, UKR: She placed 17th at Worlds and 12th at Europeans.  She placed 7th at JGP Romania and 11th at JGP Estonia.  Her persoanl best is 138.60.  She is 18 years old.

Samantha Cesario, USA: She won bronze at JGP Poland and JGP Estonia last season.  Her personal best is 153.84.  She is 19 years old.

Hannah Miller, USA: She won bronze at JGP Italy last season.  Her personal best is 146.74.  She is 15 years old.

JGP Austria Men's Preview

Ryuju Hino of Japan already has a bronze medal on the JGP this season from France and was just 1 point shy of his personal best at that event.  With a gold medal here, he would give himself a good shot at the Final.  He should also be able to improve on his personal best score here.

Jay Yostanto finished 5th in Italy last season with a consistent triple axel under his belt.  He finished just 7th at U.S. nationals as a junior after some jump issues but with a strong performance he has the chance to claim his first medal.

Viktor Romanenkov has competed in 10 Junior Grand Prix events since 2007 but has failed to reach the medal stand.  His best finish was 6th place in front of his home crowd last season.  He has been steadily improving and with his experience, he could finally reach the medal stand among this crowd of newcomers.

Nathan Chen is making his Junior Grand Prix debut at just 13 years old but this formidable competitor already has two U.S. novice titles and the U.S. junior title under his belt.  He has huge jumps and even bigger personality on the ice.  He has remarkable consistency as well and can be counted on to nail his free skate.  He didn't have the triple axel yet last season but has been working on it and if he lands it here, he could have an impressive debut.  He own his only international assignment, the Gardena Spring Trophy as a novice last season.  

My podium predictions:
Gold: Ryuju Hino
Silver: Nathan Chen
Bronze: Jay Yostanto

Bios of the competitors:
Manuel Drechsler, AUT: He placed 21st at JGP Poland and 22nd at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 85.08.  He is 16 years old.

Simon-Gabriel Ionian, AUT: This is his JGP debut.  He is 17 years old.

Johannes Maierhofer, AUT: This is his international debut.  He is 14 years old.

Pavel Strakach, BLR: This is his international debut.

Mitchell Gordon, CAN: He placed 7th at JGP Estonia last year.  His personal best is 145.04.  He is 16 years old.

Jordan Ju, TPE: He placed 20th in the preliminary round at Worlds and 21st at Four Continents.  His personal best is 134.97.  He is 17 years old.

Petr Coufal, CZE: He placed 17th at Junior Worlds.  He finished 8th at JGP Poland and 13th at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 161.10.  He is 17 years old.

Viktor Romanenkov, EST: He placed 23rd at Europeans.  He finished 9th at JGP Latvia and 6th at JGP Estonia last season.  His personal best is 162.19.  He is 18 years old.

Matthias Versluis, FIN: He placed 21st at Junior Worlds.  He finished 17th at JGP Latvia and 9th at JGP Poland last season.  His personal best is 143.20.  He is 18 years old.

Niko Ulankovsky, GER: He placed 9th at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 158.47.  He is 15 years old.

Giorgio Settembrini, ITA: This is his international debut.

Ryuju Hino, JPN: He placed 9th at Junior Worlds.  He won bronze at JGP France.  His personal best is 182.71.  He is 17 years old.

Sei Kawahara, JPN: He placed 6th at JGP Latvia and 10th at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 160.49.  He is 16 years old.

Sondre Oddvoll Boe, NOR: He placed 15th at JGP France.  His personal best is 114.49.  He is 14 years old.

Jin Seo Kim, KOR: This is his international debut.  He is 15 years old.

Feodosiy Efremenkov, RUS: He placed 11th at JGP Latvia last season.  His personal best is 163.46.  He is 16 years old.

Andrei Lazukin, RUS: This is his international debut.

Marco Klepoch, SVK: He placed 20th at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 93.10.  He is 14 years old.

Kristof Brezar, SLO: This is his JGP debut.  He is 15 years old.

Nicola Todeschini, SUI: This is his JGP debut.  His personal best is 128.98.  He is 15 years old.

Suchet Kongchim, THA: He finished 18th in the preliminary round at Junior Worlds.  He finished 18th at JGP Australia and 25th at JGP Italy last season.  His personal best is 88.61.  He is 18 years old.

Nathan Chen, USA: This is his JGP debut.  He is 13 years old.

Jay Yostanto, USA: He finished 5th at JGP Italy last season.  His personal best is 164.27.  He is 18 years old.

JGP Croatia Entries

Men

Slavik Hayrapetyan, ARM
David Kranjec, AUS
Pavel Ignatenko, BLR
Luiz Manella, BRA
Ivo Gatovski, BUL
Mitchell Gordon, CAN
Zijing Teng, CHN
Han Yan, CHN
Chih-I Tsao, TPE
Steven Spencer Baker, CRO
Mislav Blagojevic, CRO
Petar Cetinic, CRO
Petr Coufal, CZE
Tino Olenius, FIN
Panagiotis Polizoakis, GER
Lap Kan Yuen, HKG
Kristof Forgo, HUN
Carlo Vittorio Palermo, ITA
Sei Kawahara, JPN
Michael Christian Martinez, PHI
Jin Seo Kim, KOR
Maxim Kovtun, RUS
Alexander Petrov, RUS
Nicky Obreykov, SWE
Suchet Kongchim, THA
Osman Akgun, TUR
Nathan Chen, USA
Lukas Kaugars, USA

Ladies

Chantelle Kerry, AUS
Victoria Huebler, AUT
Kristina Zakharanka, BLR
Arijana Tirak, BIH
Isadora Williams, BRA
Vasilena Yakimova, BUL
Alaine Chartrand, CAN
Jialei Wang, CHN
Petra Juric, CRO
Ema Lipovscak, CRO
Valentina Mikac, CRO
Kristina Dubrovskaya, CYP
Jana Coufalova, CZE
Pernille Sorensen, DEN
Isabella Schuster, GRE
Oliya Clarkson, GRN
Georginia Kantor, HUN
Caterina Andermarcher, ITA
Rika Hongo, JPN
Risa Shoji, JPN
Ieva Gaile, LAT
Raya M. Willoughby, MAS
Roobi Gaskins, PUR
Tae Yeon Lee, KOR
Anna Pogorilaya, RUS
Anna Shershak, RUS
Milica Jokic, SRB
Ceciliane Mei Ling Hartmann, SIN
Dominika Murckova, SVK
Pina Umek, SLO
Josefine Taljegard, SWE
Laure Nicodet, SUI
Mimi Tanasorn Chindasook, THA
Sila Saygi, TUR
Courtney Hicks, USA
Barbie Long, USA

Pairs

Kestila/Bullard, AUS
Angelina/Tarasov, AZE
Bell/Sylvester, CAN
Desjardins/Bilodeau, CAN
Purdy/Marinaro, CAN
Li/Jiang, CHN
Yu/Jin, CHN
Kang/Kim, PRK
Prolls/Blommaert, GER
Manacorda/Macii, ITA
Lech/TYC, POL
Davankova/Deputat, RUS
Tarasova/Morozov, RUS
Tudvaseva/Lisiev, RUS
Calalang/Sidhu, USA
Pfund/Reiss, USA
Simpson/Blackmer, USA

Dance

Tsenova/Zaytsev, BUL
Bent/Mackeen, CAN
Dalmer/Firus, CAN
Elias/Koreline, EST
Hauser/Lerche, GER
Paterson/Carstairs, GBR
Glastris/Lettner, GRE
Magyar/Illes, HUN
Bolshem/Zilberberg, ISR
Tessari/Colafato, ITA
Uzurova/Ali, KAZ
Jakushina/Grishins, LAT
Cibulkova/Stravinskas, LTU
Kim/Minov, KOR
Kosigina/Moroshkin, RUS
Zenkova/Sinitsin, RUS
Robledo/Fenero, ESP
Gaistruk/Olejnik, UKR
Nazarova/Nikitin, UKR
Miller/MacMillan, USA
Parsons/Parsons, USA
Nagornyuk/Kovalenko, UZB

JGP Slovenia Entries

Men

David Kranjec, AUS

Manuel Drechsler, AUT

Roman Sadovsky, CAN

Boyang Jin, CHN

Han Yan, CHN

Jordan Ju, TPE

Viktor Romanenkov, EST

Simon Hocquaux, FRA

Alexander Schoepke, GER

Peter James Hallam, GBR

Antonio Panfili, ITA

Keiji Tanaka, JPN

Shoma Uno, JPN

Abish Baytkanov, KAZ

Arturas Ganzela, LTU

Julian Zhi Jie Yee, MAS

Krzysztof Gala, POL

Dong-Won Lee, KOR

Daniel Patriche, ROU

Feodosiy Efremenkov, RUS

Alexander Samarin, RUS

Marco Klepoch, SVK

Kristof Brezar, SLO

Matej Gregorc, SLO

Ondrej Spiegl, SWE

Giray Senol, TUR

Igor Reznichenko, UKR

Harrison Choate, USA

Joshua Farris, USA

Ladies

Chantelle Kerry, AUS

Sabrina Schultz, AUT

Eline Anthonissen, BEL

Arijana Tirak, BIH

Julianne Seguin, CAN

Xiaowen Guo, CHN

Lena Wu, TPE

Petra Juric, CRO

Eike Langerbaur, EST

Laurine Lecavelier, FRA

Jennifer Parker, GER

Natasha McKay, GBR

Yong Yeu Tiffany Lau, HKG

Ivett Toth, HUN

Victoria Manni, ITA

Hinano Isobe, JPN

Miu Sato, JPN

Alina Fjodorova, LAT

Inga Januleviciute, LTU

Alisson Krystle Perticheto, PHI

Hae Jin Kim, KOR

Denisa Sandu, ROU

Evgenia Gerasimova, RUS

Kristina Zaseeva, RUS

Sandra Ristivojevic, SRB

Nicole Rajicova, SVK

Evita Celesnik, SLO

Naja Ferkov, SLO

Patricia Glescic, SLO

Gabriella Josefsson, SWE

Melisa Sema Atik, TUR

Vanessa Lam, USA

Angela Wang, USA

Ice Dance

Tkachenka/Gulitski, BLR

Bruser/Lum, CAN

Poulin/Servant, CAN

Konickova/Lang, CZE

Allik/Bellantuono, EST

Leininger/Caurel, FRA

Zahklyupana/Flemin, FRA

Schiffner/Salatzki, GER

Smart/Buckland, GBR

Szemes/Szenasi, HUN

Busi/Fabbri, ITA

Uzurova/Ali, KAZ

Evdokimova/Bazin, RUS

Yanovskaya/Mozgov, RUS

Korotitskaia/Spodirev, UKR

Aldridge/Eaton, USA

Moore/Klaber, USA

Nagornyuk/Kovalenko, UZB

JGP France Recap

Men

Boyang Jin was the surprise gold medal winner at this event, winning in his first ever JGP event.  This 14 year old hit a quad toe, triple axel and triple lutz + triple toe + double toe to open his free skate.  

Jason Brown won the silver medal and is still on pace to defend his JGPF title.  He did finish nearly 30 points below his personal best score, which he set at junior worlds last season.  He did not attempt a triple axel in either of his programs and only hit a double axel + double toe in his free skate in addition to receiving edge calls on both his lutz jumps.  He also received no credit for a spin in his short program but his program components were far and away the best in the field.

Ryuju Hino won the bronze medal and finished just one point below his personal best score.  He landed a triple axel + triple toe in his free skate with positive grades of execution but received an edge call on his triple flip in the free skate.

Harrison Choate finished 4th in both segments and 4th overall, improving his results since last season and improving his personal best score by 3 points.  Like Brown, he did not attempt a triple axel but did land a double axel + triple toe combo in his free skate.  

Alexander Petrov finished 5th in his international debut at just 13 years old.

Charles Tetar climbed to 7th in front of the home crowd (his best result to date) and improved his personal best by by 16 points.

Nam Nguyen had a disappointing outing, finishing 9th (he medaled at JGP Romania last season) and scoring nearly 20 points below his personal best.  Mikhail Kolyada just missed the podium at JGP Australia last season but dropped to 6th here with a score 18 points below his personal best.  Vlad Ionescu of Romania finished 13 points below his personal best.  Marcus Bjork of Sweden finished 11 points below his personal best.

Ladies

Elena Radionova of Russia won the gold medal in her JGP debut at just 13 years old.  Radionova earned positive grades of execution on all of her free skate elements including a triple lutz + triple toe combination, two level 4 spins and a level 3 step sequence.

Rika Hongo won the silver medal in her international debut.  This 15 year old landed a double axel + triple toe as well as a triple salchow + double axel sequence in her free skate along with two level 4 spins and a level 3 step sequence.  She did receive an edge call on her lutz. 

Uliana Titushkina of Russia won the bronze medal in her international debut.  This 13 year old attempted a triple lutz + triple toe in her free skate but it was judged under-rotated along with two other jumps.  She also only received a Level 1 on her combination spin.  

Vanessa Lam finished 4th, a disappointment after earning 3 medals in 3 events on the JGP and qualifying for the Final last season.  She finished 16 points below her personal best.  She did place 3rd in the free skate where she landed 6 triples (one was downgraded and both her lutzes received edge calls).  She also received level 4 on all her spins as well as a level 3 for her step sequence with positive grades of execution on these elements.  

Ashley Cain held steady at 5th but improved her personal best by 4 points despite having three falls in her free skate, showing her improvement as a full package skater this season.  

Camilla Gjersem of Norway improved her personal best by 10 points.  

Ziquan Zhao was a disappointing 10th at this event scoring 30 points below her personal best.  Rebecka Emanuelsoon of Sweden scored 28 points below her personal best.  Sindra Kriisa of Estonia finished 19 points below her personal best.  Nastassia Hrbyko of Belarus finished 12 points below her personal best.  Anastasia Yalovaia of Ukraine scored 11 points below her personal best.  

Dance

Papadakis and Cizeron claimed their first Junior Grand Prix gold medal in front of their home crowd.  They received Level 4s on 5 of the 7 elements in their free dance as well as positive grades of execution on all their elements.  They didn't score as high as they did at Junior Worlds last season, but they are on the right track only a few points below that mark.

Zenkova and Sinitsin won the silver medal here, only 6 points off their personal best.  They led after the short dance but low levels in their free dance likely cost them a higher placement.  Only one of the elements in their free dance earned a Level 4 but they did receive positive grades of execution on all their elements.

Edwards and Pang of Canada won the bronze medal at just their second ever JGP event after placing 5th in Austria last season.  They received three level 4s in their free skate and all positive grades of execution.  They finished 9 points below their personal best and will need to pull up their scores if they want another medal and a shot at the JGP Final.

Korotitskaia and Spodirev of Ukraine finished 4th in their international debut.

Kavaliova and Bieliaiev of Belarus improved their personal best by 10 points.

Abts and Buckens of Belgium finished 14 points below their personal best.  Hasegawa and Hasegawa of Canada finished 5th at both of their events last season but dropped to 7th here after scoring 10 points below their personal best.  Elizabeth and Le Gac of France scored 11 points below their personal best.