Men
Ross Miner (USA):
The 2009 U.S. junior National champion will make his JGP debut in Lake Placid. Coming off a solid 10th place finish at the Junior World Championships last March, Miner is the highest-ranked men's competitor at this event, and should easily grab the title. Armed with a triple Axel, look for him to win both the Techinical Elements Scores and Program Component Scores if he skates up to his potential. Known as a great showman, Miner will need to harness his energy and keep focused, especially throughout the long program, if he wants to establish himself as a legitimate threat for a Junior Grand Prix Final medal.
Joshua Farris (USA):
Coming off a stellar season in which he won the U.S. novice National title and placed second at the International Challenge Cup in the Netherlands, Farris will be competing in only his second international event and his first Junior Grand Prix event. Farris has a solid triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination that usually garners positive Grades of Execution (GOE's). Additionally, his spins and excellent basic skating skills add to his technical and Program Component Scores, and could land him a spot on the podium here. Farris trains under Tom Zakrajsek in Colorado Springs, so stamina should not be an issue for the 14-year old, but without a triple Axel, he will need to go clean in both programs if he hopes to challenge Miner for the top spot.
Andrew Gonzales (USA):
In his second season on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, 19-year old Gonzales is another podium threat. Gonzales, the 2008 U.S. junior bronze medalist, placed 4th and 6th in his two events last season, and then slipped to 8th place in the U.S. junior competition. Although he is known as a great stylist on the ice, Gonzales needs to focus on fully rotating his triple jumps in order to avoid downgrades. He has all the elements needed to win gold here, but he will need to show a lot more consistency and technical prowess than he did last season.
Andrei Rogozine (CAN):
At only 16-years old, Rogozine, the Canadian junior National champion, is already in his third season on the JGP circuit. His best finish came last year when he finished 8th at the JGP - Sheffield. His personal best overall score is only 149.50 points, but he could pose the biggest threat to the American trio in this relatively weak field.
Ladies
Yukiko Fujisawa (JPN):
As one of Japan's youngest phenoms, 14-year old Fujisawa is already in her second season of Junior Grand Prix competition. She placed 1st and 2nd in both of her events last season, and then went on to capture the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final. She has huge scoring potential, with a personal best free skate score of 101.44 points. However, Fujisawa is still inconsistent at times. After a stellar season last fall, she stumbled to an 8th place finish in the Japanese junior nationals and was left off their Junior World team. At the Junior Grand Prix Final last December in Korea, she fought back after a 7th place short program to win the free skate and the silver medal overall. If she can avoid falls or downgrades in Lake Placid she could very well capture the gold medal and put herself in position for a Junior Grand Prix Final spot.
Taylor Firth (USA):
Firth, star of the upcoming "Ice Castles" movie remake, is making her JGP debut in Lake Placid. She has competed at the senior level at Nationals twice, finishing 14th in 2007 and 13th last January. With a full arsenal of triple jumps, Firth definitely has the goods to win here. She will need to keep her focus during the 3 1/2 minute free skate, however, and must rotate her triple jumps completely. She scored in the 140's for her programs at Skate Detroit in July, so it is important that she skates up to her potential to keep up with Fujisawa.
Kristine Musademba (USA):
With a solid junior international record behind her, Musademba skates into her third JGP season. She was golden in both of her events last year but then fell to 6th place at the Final. In addition, she made her senior National debut last January and finished 11th in Cleveland. Like Firth and Fujisawa, Musademba has a full arsenal of triple jumps, but her jump consistency hasn't been the greatest recently. Her personal best free skate score of 93.34 points is the second highest in the field, and she looks to be a co-favorite for the title here. Nonetheless, a medal of any color is easily within her grasp, and with it a spot in the JGP Final.
DeeDee Leng (USA):
The surprise junior National champion from last season, Leng makes her JGP debut in Lake Placid, as well. She competed as a junior in the International Challenge Cup last season in the Netherlands and finished 4th. Leng certainly has the ability to medal at this event, but she can't count on others to fall for that to happen (last year's junior ladies event at Nationals wasn't exactly pretty...). When she's on, her jumps are high and solid, and garner many positive GOE's. However, like so many of the ladies at this event, Leng hasn't mastered consistency yet, and she could realistically finish anywhere from 1st to 6th in Lake Placid.
Ice Dance
Kharis Ralph & Asher Hill (CAN):
2008 Canadian junior champions Ralph and Hill are among the top junior ice dance teams in the world. They won two silver medals in the series last season and went on to place 6th at the Final. Additionally, they recorded 5th place finishes at the Canadian championships (senior) and the Junior World Championships. With a personal best total score of 152.76, they will no doubt finish on the podium here.
Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager (USA):
Making thier international debut in Lake Placid is the team of Bonacorsi & Mager, the reigning U.S. novice National champions. The team trains in Laurel, Maryland, and is known for great lifts, solid skating skills and a strong on-ice presence. Gold and silver are most likely out of reach for this young team, but a bronze medal is possible if they skate well in all three of the phases of competition.
Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani (USA):
This brother-sister duo from Michigan surprised many with their silver medal finish at the Junior World Championships last season, and they enter this event as the highest ranked team. With 1st and 2nd place finishes in thier JGP events last season (and a 4th place finish at the Final), the Shibutani's are the only team in the field to score above 80 points in the free dance internationally, and also hold the highest overall score of the 15 team field with 163.56 points. They are fantastic competitiors, technicians and performers, and should have no problem capturing the gold medal here.
Rachel Tibbetts & Collin Brubaker (USA):
In their third and final season of Junior Grand Prix competition, Tibbetts and Brubaker are also hoping it's their best. Over the past two years, they have recorded three 5th place finishes and a 6th place finish. The charismatic and crowd-pleasing team are on track for a podium finish here, and are also looking to improve upon their personal best total score of 151.10 points.
Pairs
Maddison Bird & Raymond Schultz (CAN):
In only their second JGP event (the team placed 7th in their event last year), Bird and Schultz appear to be serious podium threats and will no doubt be vying for a spot at the Final. The team was third in the Canadian junior championships last season and went on to place 6th at the Junior World Championships. A medal for them is nearly assured in this fairly weak pairs field, and gold is a great possibility.
Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran (JPN):
Japan's first elite-level pairs team has steadily climbed the ranks over the past two seasons. From a 12th place finish in their first-ever JGP event in 2007 to a bronze medal last year (and a trip to the Final), Takahashi and Tran are getting better and better with more time together. Their personal best total score of 131.10 points is the second highest of any of the teams competing in Lake Placid, and it seems as though they will continue to build upon their success over the past years.
Anais Morand & Antoine Dorsaz (SUI):
The Swiss team of Morand and Dorsaz has the highest personal best score of any of the teams at this event (131.46), as well as the most experience. This is their fifth season on the JGP circuit, and they have had three trips to Junior Worlds as well (finishing 10th last season). Additionally, the team finished 12th at the European Championships and 14th at the senior World Championships last season. They have never won a JGP medal, but could very well do it in Lake Placid if they hit their throw triple jumps and go clean in both programs.
Britney Simpson & Nathan Miller (USA):
Americans Simpson and Miller are the current U.S. junior pewter (4th place) medalists. Last season was thier first together, so this event marks thier first international competition. Their strong lifts and surprisingly good unison for only having been together one year could vault them to the podium in Lake Placid. They have had strong summer competition results so far this season, but this will be their first international test.
Predictions:
- Men: 1. Miner, USA; 2. Farris, USA; 3. Gonzales, USA
- Ladies: 1. Fujisawa, JPN; 2. Musademba, USA; 3. Firth, USA
- Dance: 1. Shibutani/Shibutani, USA; 2. Ralph/Hill, CAN; 3. Tibbetts/Brubaker, USA
- Pairs: 1. Takahashi/Tran, JPN; 2. Bird/Schultz, CAN; 3. Simpson/Miller, USA
No comments:
Post a Comment