In what was her first-ever international competition, 14-year old Kiri Baga stole the show and walked away with the gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix of Dresden, Germany, this weekend.
Baga, the reigning novice National champion out of Bloomington, Minn., shook off the pressure of her JGP debut and performed brilliantly, landing a triple flip for the first time in her short program to amass a total segment score of 56.27, the highest junior ladies' short program score so far this season.
Her second-place 88.41 point free skate gave her a total competition score of 144.68, clinching the gold medal and making her the fourth-highest scoring junior lady on the circuit this season. She bested teammate Angela Maxwell by more than 8 points, though Maxwell was dealing with boot issues and had to resort to using duct tape to give her the strength to sustain her jump landings.
Nonetheless, Baga's victory marks her as a legitimate threat for a spot at the Junior Grand Prix Final in December. She has been assigned a second JGP event in Turkey, and a top four finish there should guarantee her a ticket to the Final. Additionally, a junior National title is well within her reach come January, although the compeition will be fierce (in Spokane, she'll likely face Agnes Zawadzki, Haley Dunne, and Mary Beth Marley, among others).
Aside from her high-scoring spins, spirals and solid jumps, the judges in Dresden apparently liked what they saw from Baga, as they awarded her the highest Program Component Scores in the short program (21.99) and the second-highest in the free skate (45.77). In skating, great basics is a good thing to have, and when the harder triples (loop, Lutz) become consistent for her, Baga will be a threat at the senior level. Her stretch, speed, edging, attack and musicality is truly something to be admired.
Showing posts with label Angela Maxwell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angela Maxwell. Show all posts
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Russians take two in Junior Grand Prix opener
It was a Russian party this weekend at the Junior Grand Prix - Budapest.
Polina Shelepen struck gold in her international debut, blowing the field away and amassing a total of 157.57 points -- a score that could be competitive in senior Grand Prix events. Also making their Junior Grand Prix debut was the team of Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov who topped the ice dance standings with 166.06 points -- over 16 points more than the silver medalists.
The one bright spot for the United States came in the men's event, where Richard Dornbush and Grant Hochstein claimed gold and silver, respectively, and clearly outclassed the rest of the field (Hochstein was nearly 24 points ahead of bronze medalist Zhan Bush of Russia). Based on their stellar performances in Budapest, both men will be assigned a second event and, if they medal again, are likely assured a spot at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo in December.
Aside from the men's event, it was a dismal series opening for the American ladies and ice dance teams. Piper Gilles and Zachary Donohue, the current U.S. junior bronze medalists, seemed to be on track for a medal here after placing third in both the compulsory and original dances. A sixth-place free dance kept them off the podium in 4th place, and now a spot at the Junior Grand Prix Final could be in jeopardy for them.
In the ladies event, no one was able to come close to Shelepen, who landed seven triples in her free skate and received the highest Technical Elements Score with 59.76 (she scored a huge 102. 73 overall for her free skate). Shelepen has established herself as a legitimate threat to U.S. and Japanese skaters at both the Junior Grand Prix Final and the Junior World Championships later this season. American Angela Maxwell fought back valiantly after a 5th place short program that included two falls. She landed five triples in her long program -- including a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination -- and had the highest Program Component Scores of the day with 45.49. Her 90.54 point free skate secured the silver medal for her, but it's clear that gold was the expectation. Nonetheless, a Junior Grand Prix Final spot is still well within her grasp, but she'll need to perform much better at her second event.
The other U.S. lady competing, Ellie Kawamura ('09 U.S. junior silver medalist), made her Junior Grand Prix series debut in Hungary. A surprise 2nd place short program kept her in medal territory, but a one-triple free skate (71.54 points) dropped her to 4th place overall.
Maxwell will without a doubt receive a second assignment, but Kawamura is definitely "on the bubble." There are so many U.S. ladies vying for a limited number of Junior Grand Prix spots, including Kiri Baga ('09 novice National champ), Mary Beth Marley ('09 novice silver medalist) and Agnes Zawadzki, all of whom have scored higher in summer competitions than Kawamura's total score of 120.46 in Budapest. Zawadzki's scores of 59.04 (short program) and 102.18 (free skate) at the DuPage Open competition earlier this summer would have given her gold at this event, although scores aren't directly comparable across events because the judging panels are different.
The Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series continues next week in Lake Placid, New York, September 2-5, 2009. Keep watching Minnesota Ice in the next couple days for a detailed preview of that event.
Polina Shelepen struck gold in her international debut, blowing the field away and amassing a total of 157.57 points -- a score that could be competitive in senior Grand Prix events. Also making their Junior Grand Prix debut was the team of Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov who topped the ice dance standings with 166.06 points -- over 16 points more than the silver medalists.
The one bright spot for the United States came in the men's event, where Richard Dornbush and Grant Hochstein claimed gold and silver, respectively, and clearly outclassed the rest of the field (Hochstein was nearly 24 points ahead of bronze medalist Zhan Bush of Russia). Based on their stellar performances in Budapest, both men will be assigned a second event and, if they medal again, are likely assured a spot at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Tokyo in December.
Aside from the men's event, it was a dismal series opening for the American ladies and ice dance teams. Piper Gilles and Zachary Donohue, the current U.S. junior bronze medalists, seemed to be on track for a medal here after placing third in both the compulsory and original dances. A sixth-place free dance kept them off the podium in 4th place, and now a spot at the Junior Grand Prix Final could be in jeopardy for them.
In the ladies event, no one was able to come close to Shelepen, who landed seven triples in her free skate and received the highest Technical Elements Score with 59.76 (she scored a huge 102. 73 overall for her free skate). Shelepen has established herself as a legitimate threat to U.S. and Japanese skaters at both the Junior Grand Prix Final and the Junior World Championships later this season. American Angela Maxwell fought back valiantly after a 5th place short program that included two falls. She landed five triples in her long program -- including a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination -- and had the highest Program Component Scores of the day with 45.49. Her 90.54 point free skate secured the silver medal for her, but it's clear that gold was the expectation. Nonetheless, a Junior Grand Prix Final spot is still well within her grasp, but she'll need to perform much better at her second event.
The other U.S. lady competing, Ellie Kawamura ('09 U.S. junior silver medalist), made her Junior Grand Prix series debut in Hungary. A surprise 2nd place short program kept her in medal territory, but a one-triple free skate (71.54 points) dropped her to 4th place overall.
Maxwell will without a doubt receive a second assignment, but Kawamura is definitely "on the bubble." There are so many U.S. ladies vying for a limited number of Junior Grand Prix spots, including Kiri Baga ('09 novice National champ), Mary Beth Marley ('09 novice silver medalist) and Agnes Zawadzki, all of whom have scored higher in summer competitions than Kawamura's total score of 120.46 in Budapest. Zawadzki's scores of 59.04 (short program) and 102.18 (free skate) at the DuPage Open competition earlier this summer would have given her gold at this event, although scores aren't directly comparable across events because the judging panels are different.
The Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series continues next week in Lake Placid, New York, September 2-5, 2009. Keep watching Minnesota Ice in the next couple days for a detailed preview of that event.
Friday, August 21, 2009
U.S. ladies look to rebound after lackluster quadrennium
It's no secret that the last three years haven't gone so well for the American ladies on the senior international stage. Up against Korean phenom Yu-Na Kim and a strong Japanese contingent in Mao Asada, Miki Ando and Yukari Nakano, U.S. female skaters have struggled to capture gold in international events. Add in Canadian star Joannie Rochette and Italy's Carolina Kostner, and even making the podium has been a daunting task.
I don't think it's entirely fair, however, to say that the talent pool has dried up in American ladies figure skating. Michelle Kwan's decade of dominance and Sasha Cohen's strong international record may have spoiled us a bit, and when we don't hear the "Star Spangled Banner" play at World championships or Grand Prix events, we begin to assume that our skaters just aren't that good.
In my opinion, that's a selfish mentality to have. We have so many bright young hopes in the United States, but that's exactly what they are -- young. Rachael Flatt just turned 17 last month, but she has already claimed two National silver medals, a Junior World title and, in March, skated her way to an astonishing 5th place at the World Championships. Mirai Nagasu won the 2008 U.S. title at age 14, and has two Junior World medals to her credit as well. 16-year old Caroline Zhang has three Junior World medals -- including a gold in 2007 -- and finished third in the World Team Trophy in April behind Asada and Rochette, the current World silver medalist who she only trailed by less than seven points.
And that's not even half the talent. Ashley Wagner, Angela Maxwell and Alexe Gilles have all recorded strong showings on the senior and/or junior international stages. Five of the possible eight spots at last year's Junior Grand Prix Final were won by U.S. ladies, and Becky Bereswill and Gilles finished 1st and 3rd there, respectively. American women have won eight of the last nine Junior World medals, and swept the podium in 2007 and 2008.
The purpose of this post isn't to make excuses for the performances/results of U.S. ladies, or to try and make it seem like solid junior results will result in senior international medals the next season, because many times they don't. However, I think it is important to realize that the absence of Kwan and Cohen have thrust our relatively inexperienced skaters into the spotlight. Yes, the results haven't been ideal since the 2006 Olympics, and yes, the United States only qualified two women for the upcoming Vancouver games, but I think there's been a lot of learning experiences and many positives to take away from the past three years.
In order to be more competitive with the top international ladies, our American girls must focus on fully rotating their triple jumps in order to avoid harsh downgrades, increasing their speed (which will then boost their Program Component Scores) and putting two clean programs together. Staying healthy and injury free will also be important to achieving better international results.
Anything is possible in Vancouver, even an American lady sneaking in for an Olympic medal. It will take two perfect programs and probably some mistakes from a few of the top skaters, but I'm not counting anyone out yet. The uber-consistent Flatt and Zhang will definitely be podium threats if they qualify for the Games, and one can't forget Nagasu or Wagner, either; both have a style that is very well received by international judges.
With a few more years of experience and some growth, there is no doubt in my mind that our girls will be vying for gold medals once more.
I don't think it's entirely fair, however, to say that the talent pool has dried up in American ladies figure skating. Michelle Kwan's decade of dominance and Sasha Cohen's strong international record may have spoiled us a bit, and when we don't hear the "Star Spangled Banner" play at World championships or Grand Prix events, we begin to assume that our skaters just aren't that good.
In my opinion, that's a selfish mentality to have. We have so many bright young hopes in the United States, but that's exactly what they are -- young. Rachael Flatt just turned 17 last month, but she has already claimed two National silver medals, a Junior World title and, in March, skated her way to an astonishing 5th place at the World Championships. Mirai Nagasu won the 2008 U.S. title at age 14, and has two Junior World medals to her credit as well. 16-year old Caroline Zhang has three Junior World medals -- including a gold in 2007 -- and finished third in the World Team Trophy in April behind Asada and Rochette, the current World silver medalist who she only trailed by less than seven points.
And that's not even half the talent. Ashley Wagner, Angela Maxwell and Alexe Gilles have all recorded strong showings on the senior and/or junior international stages. Five of the possible eight spots at last year's Junior Grand Prix Final were won by U.S. ladies, and Becky Bereswill and Gilles finished 1st and 3rd there, respectively. American women have won eight of the last nine Junior World medals, and swept the podium in 2007 and 2008.
The purpose of this post isn't to make excuses for the performances/results of U.S. ladies, or to try and make it seem like solid junior results will result in senior international medals the next season, because many times they don't. However, I think it is important to realize that the absence of Kwan and Cohen have thrust our relatively inexperienced skaters into the spotlight. Yes, the results haven't been ideal since the 2006 Olympics, and yes, the United States only qualified two women for the upcoming Vancouver games, but I think there's been a lot of learning experiences and many positives to take away from the past three years.
In order to be more competitive with the top international ladies, our American girls must focus on fully rotating their triple jumps in order to avoid harsh downgrades, increasing their speed (which will then boost their Program Component Scores) and putting two clean programs together. Staying healthy and injury free will also be important to achieving better international results.
Anything is possible in Vancouver, even an American lady sneaking in for an Olympic medal. It will take two perfect programs and probably some mistakes from a few of the top skaters, but I'm not counting anyone out yet. The uber-consistent Flatt and Zhang will definitely be podium threats if they qualify for the Games, and one can't forget Nagasu or Wagner, either; both have a style that is very well received by international judges.
With a few more years of experience and some growth, there is no doubt in my mind that our girls will be vying for gold medals once more.
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