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soyouthinkyoucansleep · 5 years

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Youth Olympic Games Preview(ish): Ice Dance

I wanted to do this as soon as the JGP was done (because the JGP was the last to determine which countries earned spots to the games), but of course, life got busy.

YOG is more restrictive than ISU Juniors in terms of age limits, so the field we will see in January (10-15 for figure skating). Skaters have to be born between January 1, 2003, and December 3, 2005, except for male ice dancers and pairs, who have to be born between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2005. For reference, the ISU age limits for this season are July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2006 (July 1, 1998, for the dance/pairs men).

Additionally, this is an IOC event so skaters must have citizenship for the country they represent, which may eliminate a few skaters from the selection.

Ice dance is especially affected by these restrictions, as none of the 6 pairs that qualified for the JGP final are age-eligible.

I know in the past the U.S. has used specific qualifying competitions and Canada hasn’t sent anyone due to conflicts with nationals. However, for all the previews I will do will assume that the countries will send their top skaters.

My preview will be in the order that the countries earned their spots (WJC 2019, followed by JGP, then host nation). Bolded names are age-eligible pairs we might see in Lausanne. Links will go to the pair’s ISU bio.

Canada

By virtue of Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha’s victory at World Juniors, Canada has earned two spots to the Ice Dance event in Lausanne. While Lajoie and Lagha are not age-eligible, Canada has multiple competitive pairs for the two spots.

Based on JGP results, the two spots will probably go to Natalie D'ALESSANDRO and Bruce WADDELL, and Emmy BRONSARD and Aissa BOUARAGUIA. D/W won silver at JGP Egna while B/B won bronze at JGP Croatia. I believe Skate Canada has stated that the top-scoring interested skaters at the end of the JGP will get the spots so assuming these two are interested, we will see them in Lausanne

Other options for Canada are Nadiia BASHYNSKA and Peter BEAUMONT who earned bronze at JGP Russia, and Miku MAKITA and Tyler GUNARA, who have a couple of 4th places finishes this season. The biggest question mark here would be Peter’s citizenship–he’s originally from Great Britain and represented the country until 2016, so I’m not sure if he has the Canadian citizenship required to be eligible.

Russia

With two pairs on the podium at World Juniors, Russia has earned 2 spots in Ice Dance. Russia had many duos on the JGP this season, but only one is age-eligible for YOG–Sofya TYUTYUNINA and Alexander SHUSTITSKIY, first alternates for the JGP final after winning a silver and bronze at their events.

With Russia’s depth in ice dance, however, I’m pretty sure they’ll have a second age-eligible pair who didn’t qualify for a JGP spot that they’ll send.

United States

Every country from here on out has one spot to the YOG. Avonley Nguyen and Vadym Kolesnik, the top qualifiers for the JGPF are not eligible as Avonley is too old and Vadym doesn’t have U.S. citizenship.

Based on the JGP, Katarina WOLFKOSTIN and Jeffrey CHEN (Yes, Karen’s brother) are the top U.S. pair and will probably get the spot. They’re a new pair this season, and place 4th and 5th at their JGP events. Another option would be siblings Oona and Gage BROWN, “pewter” medalists at U.S. Junior Nationals last season.

Georgia

Georgia was the next country to earn a spot, but Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya (who earned the spot), are too old for YOG and Georgia doesn’t seem to have any other junior ice dance teams, so I predict this spot will be reallocated to the next country in line, Estonia (will later)

France

France’s top age-eligible pair is Celina FRADJI and Jean-Hans FOURNEAUX, who made their junior international debut this season at JGP France with the 10th place finish. Like the United States, France’s top pair and JGPF qualifiers Loicia Demougeot and Theo Le Mercier are too old for the YOG.

Ukraine

Ukraine will probably be represented by Anna CHERNIAVSKA and Oleg MURATOV who placed 11th at JGP Poland this season. Both are born in 2004 so they have many more years at the Junior level–YOG will probably be a good experience for them.

Italy

Italy had a few dance teams on the JGP this season but only one is age-eligible: siblings Giulia TUBA and Andrea TUBA. Born in 2004 and 2003, these two also have many years left at the junior level and YOG would be a good experience for them as well.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic earned a spot in ice dance due to the Taschler(ova) siblings’ excellent performances on the JGP (3rd and 5th), however, the siblings are not age-eligible. Denisa CIMLOVA and Vilem HLAVSA will probably get the spot.

Japan

Japan also earned a spot on the JGP, due to the strong performances of Utana YOSHIDA and Shingo NISHIYAMA, who are age-eligible for the games! This team trains in Toronto (at the Cricket Club) with Tracy Wilson, Andrew Hallam, and Joey Russell, where they are training mates of D’Alessandro and Waddell.

Switzerland

Switzerland gets a spot in every discipline as the host nation, but they did not have an ice dance team on the JGP this season, so I doubt they have an age-eligible team for YOG. This spot will probably get reallocated to Great Britain

Estonia

*Probable reallocation from Georgia

Should Estonia get a reallocated spot, they will probably be represented by Darja NETJAGA and Marko Jevgeni GAIDAJENKO, who train part-time in Russia under Alexei Gorshkov, who trains some of Russia’s top junior dance teams.

Great Britain

*Probable reallocation from Switzerland

Great Britain didn’t have any age eligible teams on the JGP, but Emily PHILLIPS and Jayin PANESAR are age-eligible and will be competing at a few smaller international events in the upcoming months.

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icedanceupstarts · 6 years

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2019 Junior World Championships Preview

Thirty-one dance teams take on Zagreb, Croatia for the last major junior event of the 2018/2019 season, because wow does time fly. Check below for our preview of some of the top contenders you won’t want to miss!

Alicia FABBRI / Paul AYER Canada Age: 16/20 Started Skating Together: 2018 Coach: Julien Lalonde Season's Best: 135.66 Rhythm Dance: A Evaristo Carriego Free Dance: Quand on na que l'amour(2:09:00 on the video)

Ice dance tends to favor lengthier partnerships, but Fabbri/Ayer have been forced to do a speed run of their junior career, as he ages them out after this. They suffered serious growing pains in the fall, but hit their stride starting with Skate Canada Challenge, and grabbed the silver at Nationals ahead of some heavy competition in order to win a berth here. Alicia Fabbri has been around and a favourite of ours for the past two seasons with former partner Claudio Pietrantonio, but this will be the first trip to Junior Worlds for either. Watching them skate together, it's clear why they teamed up despite the inconveniences-- they have great depth of edge, power, and matching glide, and as they’ve gotten used to competing together they give the impression of a more established team. The ideal partnership is the one that works, and as they've settled into each other, it's clear that this works. Alicia has always been such a mature, nuanced performer and Paul is a very strong lead that has helped them come together so quickly. They're kind of wildcards-- they had a very messy fall season that made us increasingly nervous, and it's hard to be sure just how a clean, strong Fabbri/Ayer will stack up in this crowd. Rather than the actual results, the important part is probably that they show up with two strong, clean skates with good levels and high performance quality to best showcase their abilities and begin their transition to seniors with a positive experience.

Marjorie LAJOIE / Zachary LAGHA Canada Age: 18/19 Started Skating Together: 2011 Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis Season's Best: 166.52 Rhythm Dance: Otros Aires Free Dance: Warsaw Concerto

One of the major medal contenders here, the three time Canadian Junior National Champions will be looking for redemption after a history of close calls. 4th at Junior Worlds last year, and 4th again at JGPF in December, Lajoie/Lagha will want to close out their junior career with a medal, possibly even the gold. They're one of the veterans of the field, with this being their fourth trip to Junior Worlds, and they're ready to move on to the senior ranks even though they have another year of eligibility left. They’ve really stepped up recently showing more maturity in their skating and finding ways to connect with each other and the audience. They have a really sharp midline step sequence in their rhythm dance this year, and their free dance opens with an undeniably stunning stationary lift. If they skate the way they can at their best, such as at JGP Richmond in the fall, it will be difficult for their rivals to keep them off the podium.

Maria KAZAKOVA/Georgy REVIYA Georgia Age: 17/19 Started Skating Together: 2017 Coach: Denis Samokhin Season's Best: 164.65 Rhythm Dance: Building the Bullet Free Dance: Carmina Burana

Kazakova/Reviya made their Junior World debut last season where they cracked the top 10, and have continued to make a statement this year winning the first JGP medals in ice dance for Georgia as well as qualifying for the JGPF in their first JGP season together. These two have risen fast through the ranks and have an outside shot at a medal here. They had a somewhat disappointing experience at JGPF, tripping in the pattern during the rhythm dance and placing last in both segments, but that just means the pressure is off here. They have no domestic competition to worry about, they're not aging out, and the spotlight is off them despite having posted some very competitive scores at points in the season. This makes them perfect dark horse material if any of the bigger favorites screw up. All they need to worry about is themselves. They've got a lot going for them, speed and power, and they're really getting to be able to skate up to the drama of Carmina Burana, which is no small feat. They have a really great lift in the free dance as well, and they're generally committed performers. Even if they don't climb on the podium this year, they can set themselves up as big contenders for next season. As long as they remember that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Kazakova/Reviya can make quite a splash in their second appearance at Junior Worlds.

Elizaveta KHUDAIBERDIEVA / Nikita NAZAROV Russia Age: 16/20 Started Skating Together: 2016 Coach: Denis Samokhin Season's Best: 164.54 Rhythm Dance: Tango Amore Free Dance: Human/Nemesis

Reigning JGPF and Russian junior national bronze medalists, Khudaiberdieva/Nazarov are one of the teams making their Junior Worlds debut who are also aging out of juniors after this season. They definitely have a chance to keep up their medal streak here, and potentially more than just bronze. They're a team that knows their strengths and use them to full effect-- the dramatic, eye catching opening to their tango which makes full use of her long lines and flexibility has stuck with us all season. They've tinkered with their angsty, modern free dance, a great fit for their performance style, over the season though that great stationary lift has stuck around. They’ve struggled with consistency issues and giving up big points on fluke errors in the past, but have proven themselves to be formidable competitors in their third season skating together.

They defeated rivals Lajoie/Lagha on their home ice, which was no small feat particularly considering Khudaiberdieva/Nazarov qualified to the JGPF without having to face off against any major rivals. But they delivered under pressure and will at minimum be looking to put out two strong performances and ideally take home one more junior medal., but even so it was by a hair and they'll need to be at their best to medal again. Despite winning both of their JGPs, they're not favored to take the top spot, which may be all the better for them. If they can clean up their little errors and skate with all the speed and emotion they're capable of while getting good levels, they have a great shot at earning a medal.

Sofia SHEVCHENKO / Igor EREMENKO Russia Age: 17/21 Started Skating Together: 2014 Coach: Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin Season's Best: 170.66 Rhythm Dance: La Cumparsita Free Dance: Witchdoctor/Lijo

In their fourth and final junior season, Shevchenko/Eremenko are aiming to finish out their junior career on top of the podium before making the jump to the crowded senior ranks. They've never missed a JGP medal in their four seasons on the circuit, but have always been overlooked in favor of their rivals until this season, indeed, until the JGPF where they were the surprise winners by the slimmest margin possible. They followed that up with a more decisive victory at Russian Junior Nationals, winning by around four points. In our opinion their tango is one of the best this season at any level, they have such an instinctive feel for it and wonderful choreographic touches as well. Her spin exit out of their twizzles and their lift perfectly timed to the musical accents and styled for the tango are highlights. Their free dance is innovative and quirky with elements perfectly suited to the music and a standout choreo character step sequence. Their last Junior Worlds may only be their second appearance at the event, but they’ve set themselves up quite well this season to wind up in one of the top spots.

Arina USHAKOVA / Maxim NEKRASOV Russia Age: 16/18 Started Skating Together: 2015 Coach: Alexei Gorshkov Season's Best: 172.81 Rhythm Dance: Libertango/Flamenco Free Dance: Black Cat, White Cat

The reigning Junior World Medalists, Ushakova/Nekrasov absolutely peaked at the right time last season and will be looking to do so again this year. After an impressive start to the season where they absolutely dominated both of their JGPs, they lost out on the JGPF title but a heartbreakingly close margin of 0.01 to domestic rivals Shevchenko/Eremenko. They skated well at Nationals but were unable to take the title there either. They still have the highest personal best of the teams here, earned with their unforgettable athletic, quirky style. Despite their undeniable talents like speed and power that would fit right in at the senior level, and a rare commitment to performing, they're a bit of an acquired taste. Their performance style and approach to their programs is uniquely them., which makes them stand out from the crowd even if it turns some people off.

It’s worth noting that last season they also lost to Shevchenko/Eremenko at both JGPF and Nationals before beating them to the podium at Junior Worlds. They’ve got up to two more seasons in juniors if they want it, but as they showed with their Junior Worlds bronze last year, there’s no time like the present to make a statement.

Caroline GREEN / Gordon GREEN United States Age: 15/17 Started Skating Together: 2009 Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov Season's Best: No ISU SB, 157.41 at Mentor Torun Cup Rhythm Dance: "Essa" by Ostra Aires Free Dance: The Devil Violinist

An impressive 6th in their Junior Worlds debut last season, the Greens’ fast rise through the junior ranks was interrupted when Caroline took ill and missed the fall season. She recovered and they bounced back in time to win Sectionals, Golden Spin, Torun Mentor Cup, and finally their first Junior National title, beating out heavy favorites Nguyen/Kolesnik. By the time January rolled around, you couldn't tell that they'd missed any time at all. They've always been fast and powerful for their ages, but a growth spurt over the past year has only accentuated that. They're especially strong in the rhythm dance, where their power, long lines, and flair are shown off to the greatest effect. Their presentation and projection isn't quite as developed and mature as some of the other teams, but they have great attack in their skating and performance. Definitely a team on the rise, and while this may be a pretty stacked event for the top spots, they shouldn’t be counted out.

Eliana GROPMAN / Ian SOMERVILLE United States Age: 18/18 Started Skating Together: 2009 Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov Season's Best: 148.51 Rhythm Dance: Nuevo Tango Free Dance: Mozart L'Opera Rock

The newly crowned US National bronze medalists will be making their Junior World debut (and are also somehow both adults now?) and looking to try to muscle their way through the tightly packed top ranks. Their JGP season was not without its struggles, but hopefully they can take some confidence from earning both their first JGP medal and their first top 3 finish at Nationals. These two have been skating together awhile and have such an instinctive feel for each other as well as a lovely glide and great edge quality. They need more power and amplitude in their skating to take it to the next level, but their flow across the ice is incredible, and their partnering is seamless and fluid. Their expression is top-notch, and their movements are always purposeful and placed. If they can hit their levels and present good programs, they could set new personal bests and even sneak ahead of some more decorated teams.

Avonley NGUYEN / Vadym KOLESNIK United States Age: 16/17 Started Skating Together: 2017 Coach: Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Carmerlengo Season's Best: 165.63 Rhythm Dance: Building the Bullet/Vuelvo Al Sur Free Dance: “Demons” by Imagine Dragons/Experience by Ludovico Einaudi

In their second season together, Nguyen/Kolesnik made a huge splash and became fan favorites as they qualified to their first JGPF. At their second JGP event, they even beat Shevchenko/Eremenko to take the gold, although they faltered a bit at JGPF, placing fifth. They had some stumbles in the rhythm dance at Nationals, causing them to lose the title, although they fought back and won the free. They're a quick, agile team with a lot of charisma and showmanship, and they're always a delight to watch. They pull difficult elements out of nothing with particularly impressive lifts fitting the music and character of their programs. Their size difference sometimes makes skating in hold a little awkward, and they're not quite generating the power of some of their competitors, but they have some of the best lifts out there as well as an innate sense of showmanship. They're young and only in their second season together and regardless of the outcome, this will be a great experience(no pun intended) for them, but they have a great shot at the podium if they clean up their tango.

#ice dance #junior worlds 2019 #season: 2018 2019 #juniors #preview

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figureskatingfanblog · 5 years

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Andrei Mozalev of Russia came away with the gold medal at the JGP Croatia and a spot in the Final. Artur Danielan of Russia took the silver, and Shun Sato of Japan took the bronze. Sato has also qualified for the Final.

Danielan will have until next week to see if he made it to the Final.

#figure skating #jgp croatia 2019 #junior men free program #junior grand prix

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figureskatingfanblog · 5 years

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Daria Usacheva of Russia leads after the short program at the JGP Croatia. Heien Lee of South Korea is in second and Anna Frolova of Russia is in third.

#figure skating #jgp croatia 2019 #junior grand prix #junior ladies short program

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figureskatingfanblog · 5 years

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JGP Croatia 2019 Preview

Entries: http://www.isuresults.com/events/fsevent03111908.htm Results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/jgpcro2019/ Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbv3gsBXzIwotCt2JGySfJA

We have two more weeks of the Junior Grand Prix, and spots in the Final are starting to fill up. This week, we are off to the JGP Croatia! As a note, this is the final week for Junior Pairs!

Schedule

9/26: Men’s SP: 10:30; Pairs SP: 14:10; Ladies SP: 16:50 9/27: Ice Dance RD: 11:00; Pairs FP: 14:00; Men’s FP: 17:00 9/28: Ice Dance FD: 12:15; Ladies FP: 16:25;

The Junior’s Men’s competition looks to be intense - there are nine skaters who have broken the 200-mark before, eight of whom have either medaled this season or medaled in the past, with Adam Siao Him Fa of France making his season debut, seeking to set himself up to qualify for the Final in his final season on the circuit.

In the Junior Ladies event, Haien Lee of South Korea looks to solidify her spot after winning her previous competition, but she faces tough competition from the Russians. In the Junior Pairs event, Annike Hocke and Robert Kunkel look to continue their great debut season as a pair by qualifying for the Final and stopping a possible Russian sweep of the podium.

In the Junior Ice Dance event, Maria Kazakova and Gregory Reviya of Georgia look to secure their spot in the Final, while holding off strong competition from Russia, Canada, and the Czech Republic.

Skaters to Watch

As always, these are not necessarily medal contenders, but skaters that should bet watched.

Junior Men: Luc Maierhofer (AUT), Stephen Gogolev (CAN), Aleksa Rakic (CAN), Matyas Belohradsky (CZE), Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA), Mark Gorodnitsky (ISR), Shun Sato (JPN), Sihyeong Lee (KOR), Artur Danielan (RUS), Andrei Mozalev (RUS), Andrew Torgashev (USA) Junior Pairs: Huidi Wang/Ziqi Jia (CHN), Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel (GER), Iuulia Artemeva/Mikhail Nazarychev (RUS), Diana Mukhametzianova/Ilia Mironov (RUS), Anna Shcheglova/Ilia Kalashnikov (RUS) Junior Ladies: Mana Kawabe (JPN), Chisato Uramatsu (JPN), Haien Lee (KOR), Daria Usacheva (RUS), Anna Frolova (RUS), Anastasia Arkhipova (UKR), Gabriella Izzo (USA) Junior Ice Dance: Nadia Bashynska/Peter Beaumont (CAN), Emmy Bronsard/Aissa Bouaraguia (CAN), Natalie Tascherlova/Filip Taschler (CZE), Maria Kazakova and Gregory Reviya (GEO), Svetlana Luzinova/Alexander Vakhnov (RUS), Sofya Tyutyunina/Alexander Shustitsky (RUS), Katarina Delcamp/Ian Somerville (USA)

JGP Final Qualification

Okay, so let’s start with the Junior Men, cause there are several skaters fighting for a Final spot:

Shun Sato of Japan and Andrei Mozaelv of Russia both need to only medal to earn a place in the Final - even a top-four finish might do it for them. Stephen Gogolev of Canada, Artur Daneilan of Russia, Sihyeoung Lee of South Korea and Aleksa Rakic of Canada all must place at least second or better in order to qualify. Andrew Torgashev of the US must win in order to qualify.

In the Junior Ladies event, Daria Usacheva of Russia needs to place second or higher in order to qualify for the Final, while Heien Lee of South Korea needs only to medal in order to secure her spot.

With this being the last week for Junior Pairs, Artemeva and Nazarychev of Russia, Hocke and Kunkle of Germany, and Mukhametzianova and Moronov of Russia need only to medal in order to go to the Final.

In the Junior Ice Dance event, Kazakova and Reviya of Georgia need to only place second or higher in order to secure their spots in the Final. Bashynska and Beaumont of Canada, Tascherlova and Taschler of the Czech Republic, and Tyutyunina and Shustitsky of Russia need to place at least second in order to put themselves into contention for the Final.

#figure skating #jgp croatia 2019 #junior grand prix #preview

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