Junior Grand Prix: France

The first Junior Grand Prix event wrapped in France this past weekend.

As expected, Russia's Polina Shelepen took the women's title and did so by a healthy margin despite being in second after the short program. Canada's Andrei Rogozine took the men's title. Russia added another gold in Ice Dance with Stepanova and Bukin taking the top spot.

Team USA had a fairly successful event. While there was no Gold to be had in France, U.S. Junior National Champ Jason Brown won the men's free skate in an attempt to chase down Canada's Rogozine, coming up just short and settling with the silver. Jason (see video below) had a tremendous performance in his Junior Grand Prix Debut. His Teammate, Max Aaron, pulled in for the bronze medal. In the ladies field Yasmin Siraj had a comeback performance to go from 6th to 2nd and take the silver medal. American Cannuscio and McManus took the silver after some volatility in the placements coming out of the new 'Short Dance.' Teams I think are still working it out. Incidentally, Cannuscio and McManus became the very first team to compete the dance in ISU competition.

In short, it was a great weekend for Russia and the United States.

Medalists are listed below and full results can be seen here. Next Junior Grand Prix stop will be Brasov, Romania.

Women:
Gold: Polina Shelepen RUS
Silver: Yasmin Siraj USA
Bronze: Rosa Sheveleva RUS

Men:
Gold: Andrei Rogozine CAN
Silver: Jason Brown USA
Bronze: Max Aaron USA

Dance:
Gold: Stepanova and Bukin RUS
Silver: Cannuscio and McManus USA
Bronze: Kosigina and Moroshkin RUS

A New Partnership?

Quietly this summer two-time National Pairs Champion Rockne Brubaker has been looking for a new partner after he and Keauna McLaughlin split in June.

At one point Rockne was spotted having a tryout with Sasha Cohen and the Internet went slightly abuzz for a day or two but then it quietly simmered down again.

Well, if the little birdies in my ear are correct, it appears Rockne has found a new partner in 2009 U.S. Novice Ladies Silver Medalist Mary Beth Marley. She, like Sasha, was spotted having a tryout with Rockne and it appears a decision has been made.

I had never seen her before so I had to look her up on YouTube and she is a little spit-fire...seemingly fearless (see video below).

Is a new partnership born? No official announcement yet but I'm willing to bet it's quickly down the pike. If they are going to compete this season they need to register for sectionals by September 1st...that would be Wednesday. Fingers crossed Rockne has found "the one." I'd hate to see him get stuck with another, as a fellow blogger once put it, "head case sent from above."

Depth

I asked my readers which country had the deepest field of women competitors and by a healthy margin Japan was voted as having the deepest field.

Up until around 2006 that was an honor almost always reserved for the United States but skating in Asia and in Japan especially has exploded leading to a changing of the guard. Change can be a good thing.

Some facts: Japanese women have won four of the last six World Titles (Arakawa 2004, Ando 2007, Asada 2008 and 2010). Japanese women have finished 1st or 2nd in the last six consecutive Grand Prix Finals. Also, Japan, since 2003, is the only nation to consecutively qualify three women to the World Championships. Impressive, eh?

I think über-veteran Fumie Suguri got the ball rolling for Japan with some solid results after the 2002 Salt Lake City Games including two consecutive World Bronze Medals. Shizuka Arakawa's 2004 World Championship win further fueled the depth and competition in Japan. I think 2006 was the year Japan finally took over with the exit of Michelle Kwan from competition, Mao Asada's burst into the senior ranks, and of course, Arakawa's Olympic Gold. At that point, to compete internationally for Japan, you had to be one of the world's best and thus the amazing depth of the Japanese program was born.

But can they stay there?

This season Japan will boast an international team which includes the reigning World Champion Mao Asada and the 2007 World Champion Miki Ando. Veteran Fumie Suguri is still in the mix. Akiko Suzuki, will be competing this season and young'n Kanako Murakami makes her senior debut.

But the U.S. doesn't look too shabby either. Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu I think proved last season they could keep up with the big girls. Mirai of course finished 4th at the Olympics and Rachael Flatt was the only skater who managed to defeat Kim Yu-Na in the free skate last season (2009 Cancer.Net Skate America). Ashley Wagner has continued to show promise and was the only American woman to make the Grand Prix Final last season. We also have Alissa Czisny, Caroline Zhang, and a young'n of our own on the move, Agnes Zawadzki.

The key to being the deepest team in the world comes down to one word, consistency. Japan has proven that their competitors are likely to be clutch in competition. With the U.S. it can be hit or miss.

If the U.S. wants to reclaim it's position as the women's skating superpower, they'll have to up the ante, buckle down, and dedicate themselves to solid consistent skating.

The Cardinal Rule?

The Cardinal Rule..."Thou shalt not reveal thy former students music for the upcoming season...especially if thouest be in a messy split with lots of press attention."

@alijolly on twitter remarked: "Is it just me who has never come across this cardinal rule before?"

I never had either. However, I do agree it probably shouldn't have slipped out of Brian Orser's tongue but I wouldn't classify it as the "Cardinal Rule."

Alexe Ainsworth writes at the Universal Sports Figure Skating Blog, "But now, it appears Orser has taken it a step too far by breaking an unwritten rule in figure skating - revealing a skater's music without consent."

The cats out of the bag! Kim Yu-Na's free skate for next season is to a compilation of Korean music, including the song "Arirang."

Somehow I don't think everyone is going to rush out and change their free skate. Laura Lepisto is not feverishly downloading Korean music in an attempt to one-up Kim (as if that was even possible). I don't think that big a secret has been leaked.

But shame on you Brian Orser for revealing one of Kim Yu-Na's tightly held cards. Even David Wilson is shocked you called her out. Clearly you need to spend some time with Johnny Weir and learn how to have a "Poker Face."

I'm being a bit sarcastic and snarky here because as much as I was shocked and interested in all this drama I am now equally done with it. I think there is plenty Orser is not saying, I think the crap that Kim's mom and her agency have been spouting is complete (pardon the French) bullshit, and I don't think Kim Yu-Na has written a single word of the tweets, website letters, social network messages, etc. In short, I SMELL A BIG ASS RAT!

Now what I'm most interested in is how two of the U.S. biggest rising stars (Adam Rippon and Christina Gao) are going to be affected by all this. I'm much more interested in their progress at this point than any other of Orser's skaters.

I'm over it! So are the fans.

Pics of the Week

It is finally here, the beginning of the Junior Grand Prix. I sent some some good luck tweets off and the skaters are hitting the practice ice as I type this.

Two very promising stars are competing in Courchevel. Polina Shelepen of Russia, who won both her Junior Grand Prix events and finished second at the Junior Grand Prix Final last season and American Jason Brown, the reigning U.S. Junior Champion.

Polina Shelepen is one of Russia's most promising up and coming skaters and this girl has a plan! Last month she spoke with Golden Skate's Tatjana Flade about her Junior debut last season and her goals. "I guess I can say that I fulfilled my plan to 50 percent. At the beginning of the season, I more or less did everything, then I wasn't in top shape towards the end. I think I have grown again and needed some time to adjust. But I really like being at the big competitions and enjoyed the Junior Grand Prix."

At just 15, she would have liked to have made her senior debut this season but will again compete in the Junior Ranks. Her coach Eteri Tutberidze explained, "We would have liked to move up to seniors in order to save time. Polina's job isn't so much to achieve certain placements, but to improve her overall skating. It is a process. The placements now aren't so important. It is important where we will finish in figure skating in ten or more years."

Olympic Champion in Sochi? Who knows...

Back on home soil Jason Brown is quickly moving up the ranks and he is doing so with some flair. I've had my eye on this guy since 2007 when he won at the U.S. Junior Championships (Juvenile Title) and he has steadily improved since. He medaled as an intermediate, as a novice, and won last season as a Junior. Also, I have to support the local skaters...chalk one up for Illinois! I remember watching his Short Program to "Hey Pachuco" at Nationals and thinking 'look at this kid go!' Then he did a complete 180 in the Free Skate performing to the "Pas de Deux" from The Nutcracker showing his versatility. I was impressed.

He makes his Junior Grand Prix this week in France and I have a feeling he is going to do well. He succeeds at everything he does and is an all around amazing guy. If you look at his Ice Network profile you see this huge list of amazing things he does including volunteering with the City Skate Outreach Program in Chicago and supporting Chicago Cares. He even turned his Bar Mitzvah into a charity project. That's awesome. And like Polina...he's only 15.

And I have to give Jason final props on his favorite show..."Glee". He's my kind of people!

ISU Rules Plushenko Ineligible

Lost between all the news yesterday about Kim Yu-Na was the ISU officially ruling that Plushenko is now ineligible.

Back in June the ISU stripped Plushenko of his eligibility citing that he had illegally performed in shows in March and April without consent from the Russian Skating Federation. Plushenko was given the chance to appeal the decision but took no corrective legal action.

In a press release, the ISU said Plushenko is ineligible for "any ISU activity." For now, this includes the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The funny part is Plushenko still wants to compete. He says he will take some time this summer to consider his options and make some decisions concerning his future competition plans this fall. But I'm not sure what options he has at this point. Looks like Sochi likely isn't in the cards for him.

Orser: "It came out of the blue."

More information is beginning to unfold in the big news yesterday that Kim Yu-Na would not be coached any longer by Brian Orser.

Again, it appears Kim's mother made the decision at an August 2nd meeting with Brian Orser and assistant coach Tracy Wilson. He waited three weeks before making a statement because he hoped things could be reconciled between them.

"It was very much a surprise," Orser told Randy Starkman of The Star. "There was really no valid reason. I still don’t understand why they did this. I don’t know. It came out of the blue. They sat down with me and Tracy and said we’re not coaching her anymore. And that was that."

Apparently Orser and his team were told to focus on other skaters they train (which include Adam Rippon and Christina Gao) as Kim Yu-Na had not yet finalized her plans for the upcoming season. However, Orser says not focusing on Kim was one of the reasons given for the decision to end the coaching partnership.

Orser goes on to say decisions about Kim Yu-Na's training always came from her mother. "We were just waiting to get our orders from the mother because that’s what we always did. She always told us when they were ready to move in a certain direction and we had a meeting and we got pen and paper out and we did a plan. We never got to that point."

While AT Sports claims relations between Kim and Orser have been uneasy since May, Orser claims that simply isn't the case. He also made it clear money wasn't the reason either as Orser has never had a contract with Kim. Orser says he knew something was up when he was left completely out of the loop over Kim's plans during the summer and none of the people working with Kim including Shae-Lynn Bourne would fill him in with any details. "When are you coming back to Toronto? There was not even a response there. It was really kind of pathetic."

Seemingly caught in the middle is Kim Yu-Na. Orser believes she wasn't a part of these decisions at all and is as confused as he is. "I spoke with her the other day. She seems confused about what’s going on. Because of all this turmoil with her mother, she doesn’t know what’s going on. Nor do I. That’s what I said to her, 'I’m a little confused, but it’s been a great four years.'"

Weird! Orser says he's decided to move on. "I’ve got some great kids. I love my job, I love my work and I’ll continue to."

Update: Just moments ago, the following Tweet came from Kim Yu-Na's Twitter Account: Would you please stop to tell a lie, B? I know exactly what's going on now and this is what I've DECIDED.

UPDATE: Brian Orser speaks out on CTV's Canada AM.

BREAKING NEWS: Kim Yu-Na and Brian Orser Part Ways

What happened?!?! Arguably one of the most successful coach/skater partnerships ever has come to an end. Korean news has reported that Kim Yu-Na and Brian Orser have parted ways. It is also reported that for the time David Wilson will continue to work with Kim (the translation makes it seem as if he would be her coach...not sure on this bit). David Wilson is currently choreographing Kim Yu-Na's new free skate.

More to report as more info comes.

Update: It would appear that Kim's mother as well and a representative from AT Sports met with Orser way back on August 2nd and he was informed then he would not be retained as Kim's coach.

"I am honored to have worked with such a talented and gifted skater," said Orser. "I wish her all the best as she moves forward in her skating career."

Let the speculation begin....what would cause the split?

Denney and Barrett On The Move

Reigning U.S. National Pairs Champions Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett have announced they will be now be coached by John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana-Zimmerman at the Saveology Iceplex in Coral Springs, Florida ending their partnership with Jim Peterson, Alison Smith, and Lyndon Johnston. Sylvia Fontana-Zimmerman is the five-time Italian National Champion and married John Zimmerman in 2003. John is the three-time U.S. Pairs Champion with Kyoko Ina.

"We feel this change is necessary to take our skating to the next level," Barrett told U.S. Figure Skating. "We look forward to working with John and Silvia. They were great competitors, and we feel they have a lot to offer as coaches."

"Silvia and I are looking forward to great things from Caydee and Jeremy," Zimmerman said. "We’re honored to continue the amazing work Jim, Lyndon and Alison have done, and are excited to get the season under way."

The move from the Tampa/St. Petersburg area to the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area also puts distance between dating couple Jeremy Barrett and Amanda Evora, who along with Mark Ladwig are the reigning U.S. Silver Medalists and now former training partners to Caydee and Jeremy.

The split appears to be an amicable one with both sides mutually respectful.

"It is difficult to lose a team at this early stage in their career," Peterson said. "However, Alison, Lyndon and I are proud of guiding Caydee and Jeremy to their goals of representing the United States as Olympians and achieving a national title in a short period of time. Both are talented athletes and competitors, and we wish them all the best in the future."

"Jim, Lyndon, Alison and the staff at Ellenton Ice Rink have done so much for us as skaters and as people," Denney said. "We would like to thank everyone there for supporting us and believing in us."

Off Easy?

This past week Nicole Bobek was sentenced to a five year probation and community service for her involvement in a meth ring that was busted over a year ago.

"I’ve been given this opportunity to make a change and also prove to myself that I can come out of the hole I dug myself into. I’m given this chance to make a difference, and hopefully help others who suffer from addiction problems; do benefits, get back on the ice, and continue with my treatment and do everything I need to do to change my life around," Nicole told NBC's Matt Lauer.

But now there is some push back that she got off way too easy for her involvement in the meth ring. Prosecutors had sought a one year jail sentence but the judge opted instead for probation and community service. She was charged with selling meth to Edward Cruz Jr. who was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Over the course of the probation she is required to continue in a drug rehab program and must pass random drug screenings. Failure to comply will land her behind bars for 10 years.

Many pundits feel her celebrity helped her a little here. She had support from many including Jo Jo Starbuck. Too easy for the former skating sweetheart?

One Week Out...Lots Ahead!

Major international figure skating competition begins next week with the beginning of the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. Quicker than you can say pumpkin it'll be the end of October and I'll be up at who knows what hour of the night watching NHK Trophy on Ice Network.

You can tell the season is approaching because many of the skaters are getting "Twitter Happy" with news of choreography breakthroughs, ouchie falls on triple and quad jumps they've added to programs, and pre-competition excitement.

As the season begins to ramp up...so too does my blogging! Some things that worked well last season that I plan to do more of this season include the program flashes (people really liked those!) and the event previews. Pic of the Week will soon make it's return but it will be reader's choice based upon the goings and happenings of the skating world.

Have a great idea for a blog post? Would you like to guest blog? Let me know! I have lots of lurkers out there (since my stent as Panasonic's Gold Blogger I'm getting quadruple the traffic I was getting before but about the same comment participation)...make yourself heard. Drop me an e-mail, or send a tweet!

Twitter, Facebook, Formspring, and YouTube have all become integrated social arms of this blog and expect the social 'networking' to continue. Also, job willing, live event blogging will return this season with a keen eye on U.S. Nationals in Greensboro and...wait for it...the Four Continents Cup in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei (I will decide post Nationals if the event roster warrants the trip...I've got miles to burn on United!). A friend who teaches in Nanjing, China may join me for that adventure.

Wow...that kind of turned into a mini State of the Blog. Let's get this party started!

The Best is Also the Worst

The best thing about a blog is being able to share your thoughts and opinions with the world in a free and open forum where people can also share their thoughts and opinions.

The worst thing about a blog is being able to share your thoughts and opinions with the world in a free and open forum where people can also share their thoughts and opinions.

It is downright funny to me how something as simple as blog comments can show the absolute best and worst in people all at the same time.

I've really thought hard about moderating the comments on this blog because sometimes they get out of control but I don't want to do that because I like the idea of people being able to share freely. I guess I'll just have to be the comment police...and that's sad.

It's okay to have an opinion...it's not okay to be a mean person and vile.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

Who Won the Rivalry?

Part of what makes figure skating great are some of the amazing rivalries that have existed. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the rivalries fresh in our mind and decide...who won?!?!

Also, click on the links in this post for some fun YouTube trips down memory lane!

Alexei Yagudin vs Evgeny Plushenko: Yags v Plush. It seemed for a while these two where winning everything...and when one didn't win, the other got second place. It was ridiculous. It was even like their coaches would have snide little remarks about the other skater. I remember at one point Alexei Mishin (who in Yagudin's early days actually coached him) saying how Yagudin's best days where back in the junior ranks and Tatiana Tarasova called Evgeny Plushenko "plastic" at one point (what did that mean?). It all came to a head at the 2002 Olympics and fortunately for Yagudin, Plushenko decided to crash and burn on his quad combo in the short program leaving a free and clear gold medal path for Yagudin. But who wins this rivalry? I think if you look strictly at the competition between them, Yagudin's World Championship 3-peat wins over Plushenko (1998, 1999, 2000) combined with that Olympic Gold and I think Yagudin is the clear winner. If you take a look at their careers as a whole, Plushenko has certainly been more successful having medaled in three consecutive Olympics. I think rivalries are more than simply competition against one another but careers as a whole and what you are able to achieve above and beyond your chief competitor. WINNER: Evgeny Plushenko

Michelle Kwan vs Tara Lipinski: When Tara hit the stage in 1996 with that quick program set to music from the "Speed" soundtrack and finished 3rd at U.S. Nationals, I was sure we were looking at a contender for Olympic Gold in 2002. Not to be, she quickly rose to the level of Michelle Kwan (who won her first national title in 1996) and a rivalry was born. Michelle owned the 1996 season, winning the 1996 World Title as well...Lipinski finished 15th. But 1997 was an entirely different story. Things looked like they would continue as they had the year prior...Kwan had easy wins on the Grand Prix while Tara just had okay performances. The tides turned for Tara at U.S. Nationals where Michelle Kwan suffered a major meltdown and finished 2nd (the meltdown wasn't so much in the placement but in the terrible performance) allowing Lipinski...at 14 years old...to take the title. Michellle's storm cloud above her head stuck with her as she lost to Lipinski at the Champion Series Final (now Grand Prix Final) and at the World Championships. All of this set up an Olympic year showdown and both skaters where hungry! Michelle Kwan looked good on the Grand Prix but then suffered an injury causing her to withdraw from the Champion Series Final where Tara easily clinched a victory. At Nationals, Michelle Kwan turned in one of the most memorable performances in U.S. Nationals history to take that title. The short program at the Olympics couldn't have been any more suspenseful with both ladies skating flawlessly. But the much decried triple loop-triple loop from Tara Lipinski sealed the deal in the free and she took Olympic Gold. Ultimately, however, its about a career as a whole. WINNER: Michelle Kwan

Johnny Weir vs Evan Lysacek: The recent Twitter drama has me about sick of this rivalry. I wouldn't even call it a rivalry really if the media didn't make it so. Maybe it became a rivalry at the 2006 Olympics when Lysacek got ahead of Johnny for the first time (he finished 4th to Weir's 5th)? I don't even feel like it was a real rivalry until 2008 when they tied at U.S. Nationals but Evan won the tie-breaker to take the title. Then it was like, "Oh it's on bitch!" Johnny still seemed to be getting the better end of it during the Grand Prix in 2008. Evan failed to make the Grand Prix Final while Johnny took the Bronze. At Nationals they both lost out as Jeremy Abbott won the title, Evan only finishing 3rd and Johnny, well, not even on the podium. But that's when Evan kicked it up a notch, narrowly missing the Four Continents title in 2009 but then running away with the World Title. Johnny made a good run at Evan in the Olympic Season but didn't have the chops to keep up. Evan won the Grand Prix Final, Johnny third. While Evan again lost the National Title to Abbott, he was second to Johnny's third. And of course Evan scooted out of Vancouver with Olympic Gold...Johnny was 6th. I'm somewhat certain we are done seeing these two compete against each other in the competitive arena but their rivalry or what I would actually call a bitch-fest continues. They just keep trying to media-up one another and it's getting old. The last stunt Evan pulled about not being sure if Johnny was a girl was in poor taste...but Johnny's has pulled some zingers of his own. WINNER: Evan Lysacek on the condition he stops the bitch-fest.

Kim Yu-Na vs Mao Asada: This is the hottest rivalry in skating currently. This rivalry is so intense their fans are often ridiculous about it. I mean, computer servers have been shut down over these two. They are both so magnificently matched in talents and abilities. It's just crazy. They've been trading titles back and forth for the past three years and you never know which one will win if they are in a competition together. Mao has two World Titles to Kim's one but Kim has the Olympic Gold to Mao's Silver. I guess we can give Kim another point for having the World Record score, but then Mao is in the Guinness Book of World Records for Triple Axels completed by a woman in a competition. In the end, its ridiculously close between these two! WINNER: Undecided...I don't think we can call this one yet but Kim Yu-Na is ahead by just a smidge.

Brian Boitano vs Brian Orser: The storied Battle of the Brian's between American Brian Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser is one of the biggest rivalries in skating history. Both equally matched in skill and ability, their rivalry came to a head at the 1998 Olympics in Orser's home country of Canada. Brian Orser also had won the previous season's World Championship ahead of Boitano and entered the competition as the slight favorite. After the short program, both were nearly tied but a bobble on a triple flip in the free skate allowed Brian Boitano to slip through and win the title...and the Battle of the Brian's. But picking a winner of the overall rivalry between these two is tough. While Boitano has the Olympic Gold, Orser has two Silver's. You do have to give points to Boitano because he competed in a third Olympics (Lillehammer) while Orser only competed in two. Does Orser get points for coaching Kim Yu-Na? Boitano for having a show on Food Network? WINNER: It's a tie! Disagree...well it's my blog!

Tonya Harding vs Nancy Kerrigan: The knee whack heard round the world got everyone to tune in to what was going on between these two prior to the 1994 Olympics. But these two in fact did have a history prior to the 1994 U.S. Nationals. Both had a National Title under their belts prior to 1994. Both had a smattering of medals from various international events including the World Championships (that includes the 1991 U.S. sweep of Yamaguchi/Kerrigan/Harding). Tonya had something Nancy didn't have though...a triple axel. After the attack on Nancy at the 1994 U.S. Nationals, Tonya went on to win the title but at the Olympics it was a sad story for Tonya. Her entire career seemed to crumble in front of her and finished 8th while Nancy soared to Silver, narrowly missing the Gold in a 5-4 judging decision. Details of the attack had come out prior to the Olympics, Connie Chung was following her everywhere, she couldn't get her shoe-lace on her boot tied, it was a press nightmare everywhere she went, and she couldn't keep it together. On March 16th 1994, Tonya avoided jail time by pleading guilty to conspiring to hinder an investigation, was stripped of her National title, and banned from all future eligible competitions. WINNER: Nancy Kerrigan...as if it could go any other way?

Did I call it right? Would you call it differently? Weigh-in!

Training Time

It has to be tough to be an Olympic Champion, make the choice to continue competing, and then actually find time to train. What do you do when the whole world is at your grasp? Say no thank you and get to work at the rink or reap the benefits of success.

Kim Yu-Na (much like Evan Lysacek) has opted for both, but with each passing day her schedule gets more and more busy and not with training time but rather celeb status bookings.

Kim has already stated she will not compete this fall and will instead focus on the World Championships next season in Tokyo. But when does she plan on training for that event? Her life has, understandably, been a whirlwind since Vancouver. Endorsements, shows, awards...you name it, she has done it. And her schedule this fall isn't getting any easier. She is planning on bringing her show from Seoul to L.A. in October and she was just named an Ambassador to the G20 Summit back in Seoul in November.

While she's dazzling crowds and bumping elbows with world leaders, her competition will be in front of judges on the Grand Prix series perfecting their programs.

Assuming she was able to begin full training at the end of November, would she be ready by World's. I think likely but do you want that competition to be your first? It rarely works out when skaters make their season debut at the last competition of the season. She could debut at Four Continents Cup but would that provide the training time needed? A conundrum indeed.

I think in figure skating it is very hard to have your cake and eat it too!

Ladies Ready to Make Their Mark

A large group of women are making Senior Grand Prix debuts this fall. While many of the names will likely be lost in the mix, five from the U.S. and Japan have an opportunity to possibly shine. Who you ask...

Haruka Imai (Japan) - One of Japan's up and coming stars, over the past couple of seasons she's managed to medal in a few Junior Grand Prix events. Her biggest achievement came last season with a top five finish in her first major ISU Championship (Four Continents Cup). She has lovely qualities as a skater and will certainly add to the strength of the deep Japanese Team. She needs to increase her jump difficulty (i.e. add a Triple Lutz) to really be on par with the top women but she is well on her way.



Kristine Musademba (USA) - Kristine is a very powerful skater who has had good results over the last two years on the Junior Grand Prix. Injury kept her from competing in the back half of last season but she is most certainly poised to make her Senior Grand Prix debut this season. She seems destined for greatness but has often been plagued with unusual inconsistency. One competition she'll be solid and the next filled with mistakes. She's a gorgeous skater and if she can fix her head and and produce solid, consistent skates, she'll be one to beat.

Amanda Dobbs (USA) - Amanda keeps super busy competing not only as a singles skater but as a pairs skater too! She had a dream U.S. Nationals where she was top seven in Senior Pairs and then finished in the top six in Senior Ladies. She capped her season off with a 4th place finish at her first major Senior International Championship (Four Continents Cup). She's currently working on developing a full repertoire of triple jumps but the overall quality of her skating shines through on the other aspects of her skating. My favorite quality of Amanda's is she fully commits to everything. She's isn't the skater that is going to single or double a jump. Make it or miss it, she's going to do a triple. She's proven that she has an innate ability to compete, if she can increase her jump difficulty she'll be one to watch for sure.



Agnes Zawadzki (USA) - I had no prior knowledge of Agnes until she showed up at Nationals last season and ripped it, winning the Junior National title. That win earned her a spot on the Junior World Team where she again skated well and took the silver (ripping it again!). I do pray she isn't a one hit wonder because this girl has the goods. Unlike her Dobbs her jumping repertoire is complete (unless we start talking triple axels but not everyone can be Mao Asada) and she seems super consistent. She has a little personality on the ice too which helps bring an audience in. I'm very curious to see how Agnes stacks up with the top women in the world because I think she can go toe-to-toe with some of these ladies. Stay tuned!



Kanako Murakami (Japan) - The biggest threat coming out of the Junior ranks this upcoming season is likely Kanako Murakami. She did a clean sweep last season, winning everything. In a word, she's magnificent. She reminds me of Sasha Cohen the way she moves across the ice. She looks so trained and prepared at every competition she enters. Pressure doesn't seem to get to her and she just powers through her programs with enough energy at the end to keep going another 4 minutes. I think she is another skater that I predict will hit the Senior Ranks and likely be one of the top competitors.



*Lena Marrocco and Mae Berenice Meite of France as well as Kwak Min-Jung of Korea and Sonia Lafuente of Spain are also making Senior Grand Prix debuts.

Fresh Faces in Pairs

There are lots of Pairs Teams making their Senior Grand Prix Debut this season. Who should you keep an eye on?

Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson (Canada) - These two had a solid Junior Grand Prix Season last year, actually winning the Junior Event in Lake Placid, placing third in Belarus and finishing 5th at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They opted to skate as seniors at Canadian Nationals placing 7th and capped their season off with a 10th place finish at Junior Worlds. As you can tell from the video below they are a bit green around the edges but they have programs chock full of content including some pretty impressive lifts. A little speed, a little stretch, a little 'razzle-dazzle' and this team could go somewhere.



Tatiana Novik and Mikhail Kuznetsov & Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov (Russia) - Two Russian Teams make Senior Grand Prix debuts this fall. Both teams have the classic trademarks of Russian teams. Stolbova and Klimov in particular have good speed. Both teams had mixed results on the Junior Grand Prix last season with Novik and Kunnetsov finishing 4th at the Junior Grand Prix Final and Stolbova and Klimov 7th. The teams went 1-2 at Russian Nationals (Junior) with Stolbova and Klimov taking the title. At Junior World's Stolbova and Klimov again got the better taking the bronze over their teammates who finished 4th. Both teams need to gain better consistency to be competitive with the top teams in the world.





Britney Simpson and Nathan Miller (USA) - This is an energetic team that has great promise. This team is hungry for success and you can see it each time they are on the ice. Trips to the Junior Grand Prix Final (6th place finish) and Junior Worlds (5th place finish) have hopefully given this team some experience and training to begin a successful career as seniors. They still need to polish things a bit, increase the difficulty in their choreography, and generally improve their skating skills, but I think they are well on their way.



Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (China) - China's legacy as a pair skating powerhouse is well in hand with this young team. They blew through their competition at every event. Clean sweep of their Junior Grand Prix Events, Junior Grand Prix Final, and Junior Worlds make this team a formidable match, even for the senior teams they'll be facing this season. The first time I saw this team I was blown away. Their like a miniature Pang and Tong. This teams technically ability far exceeds their years. They are routinely landing Throw Quad Salchows. For this team it's about finesse at this point. Making sure their landing positions match perfectly, making sure the sure the spins are in unison, adding that little extra stretch to an already solid position. I expect this team will go VERY far.