The Casual Figure Skating Fan's Guide to Sochi 2014

I know more than my fair share about figure skating and follow it very closely every season, but I'm also aware that most people do not. Therefore, I give you "The Casual Figure Skating Fan's Guide to Sochi 2014". If I see a facebook status asking about Johnny Weir, Michelle Kwan, or 6.0, I will probably post this link on your wall to keep me from saying something catty.

General Notes:

-Figure Skating is no longer an art form, it is a math problem

-You will be confused and frustrated because the best programs rarely score the highest

-If you think all the programs look the same, you're probably right; IJS programs are very cookie cutter

-Skaters are scored on TES (the old technical mark) & PCS (the old artistic mark)

-Every element (jumps, spins, lifts, throws, footwork sequences) is given a base value and/or a level and a grade of execution mark

-There is no "best score," though the NBC commentators will likely compare skaters' scores to their own Season's Best of Personal Best

-This season will be the debut of a Gymnastics-style Team event where skaters from all 4 disciplines will combine their scores and the "top country" will win gold; this even will begin before Opening Ceremonies and conclude before the individual disciplines begin

-Here is a link to the full IJS code of points if you want to confuse yourself even further

http://www.isu.org/en/single-and-pair-skating-and-ice-dance/isu-judging-system/introduction

Ladies:

2013 WORLD Medalists: Yuna Kim (KOR), Carolina Kostner (ITA), Mao Asada (JPN)

-If anyone outside of Kim, Asada, or Kostner win Gold it will be a Sarah Hughes-esque surprise

-If we do have a Sarah Hughes moment, it will be Russian teen Julia Lipnitskaia

-If Yuna Kim skates cleanly, expect her to win a 2nd OGM, regardless of how the other ladies skate

-The US ladies have an outside chance at a medal but are in no way favored

-NBC will talk up Gracie Gold, and probably Ashley Wagner as medal favorites, but they will only medal if others make mistakes

-The fully rotated triple-triple combination is key for the ladies, expect NBC commentators to talk that to death

-You will be able to tell which skaters NBC loves because they will drop phrases like "complete package," "complete program," or "fantastic transitions"

-A US lady hasn't won an Olympic or World medal since 2006, expect to hear that from NBC commentators on repeat

-A certain 'top lady' waves during her spiral sequence, I'll let you look for it in Where's Waldo fashion

Mens:

2013 WORLD Medalists: Patrick Chan (CAN), Denis Ten (KAZ), Javier Fernandez (ESP)

-Johnny Weir has retired and Evan Lysacek is injured, neither will compete

-Patrick Chan has won the last 3 World Titles, and though he is sputtering this season, it will be an upset if he doesn't win Gold

-The Quadruple jump (Quad) is key in the mens event, it will be hard to get near the podium without one

-The elder statesman Evgeni Plushenko has returned for one final hurrah and the Russians will be doing their best politicking to get him back on the podium

-You will probably prefer Yuzuru Hanyu's more artistic programs and you'll hate it when Patrick Chan wins regardless

-US men have little to no chance of winning a medal, we haven't won a World or Olympic medal since 2010

-Jason Brown (USA) will be one of the darlings of the games and will probably rise to the occasion under pressure, but without the Quad he will have a hard tim finding the podium unless others make mistakes

Ice Dance:

2013 WORLD Medalists: Davis & White (USA), Virtue & Moir (CAN), Bobrova & Soloviev (RUS)

-There are no longer 3 phases to the Ice Dance competition, there are now only 2

-Expect to hear the phrase "Finn Step" a lot as it is the compulsory pattern that all teams will perform in the original dance

-Free Dances range from Classical and Opera to Musical Theatre and Michael Jackson

-Gold & Silver will go to Davis & White (USA) or Virtue & Moir (CAN) and it will likely be very close; they are far above the rest of the field and will take the top spots on the podium

-Davis & White are slightly favored for Gold because they beat Virtue & Moir at the 2013 Worlds and this season's Grand Prix Final and their scores have been consistently higher

-Bobrova & Soloviev (Russia) will likely win bronze, primarily because of Russian politics; if you personally feel that their performances are not deserving of a medal, you would be correct

-The other teams that have a shot at bronze are Pechalat & Bourzat (FRA), Ilinykh & Katsalapov (RUS), Cappellini & Lanotte (ITA), and Weaver & Poje (CAN)

-The top dance teams are coached by the same small cluster of coaches; become familiar with names like Marina Zoueva, Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo, Nikolai Morozov, and Alexander Zhulin

-All 3 American teams are likely to finish in the top 10

-It's tough to tell the difference between average, good, and great ice dance programs because there are no jumps/falls; you should look for speed, overall flow across the ice, synchronization, and smooth transitions in and out of lifts

Pairs

2013 WORLD Medalists: Volosozhar & Trankov (RUS), Savchenko & Szolkowy (GER), Duhamel & Radford (CAN)

-US Pair Teams will be very fortunate to finish in the top 6 and have about a 1% chance of winning a medal

-Volosozhar & Trankov (Russia) will win Gold unless they make major mistakes

-Savchenko & Szolkowy (Germany) will win Silver unless they make major mistakes

-Pang & Tong (China) will most likely win bronze, but Canadian teams have a shot

-The pairs event directly follows the Team Trophy event; fatigue/training could play a role in this event

-Expect some drama with the top two teams, they've been going back and forth in the standings for several years

-Commentators will make a huge deal about Russians retaking the top spot on the Olympic pairs podium

2013 Skate Canada: Ladies Preview

Julia Liptnitskaia (RUS) is the one to beat here. She doesn't necessarily have the best skills or artistry of the field, but she is the best competitor and at these early events, that generally wins the day. She has her sights set on Sochi and as long as she can stay healthy, she is all but guaranteed to make the Olympic team. She has fared the best overall of the "Russian babies" as she transitioned from the junior to the senior ranks and I appreciate her skating more than that of Sotnikova, Tuktamisheva, or Radionova. She qualified for the Final last year and likely would have done quite well if not for that concussion. My only concern for her is that Schindler's List is beyond her current range as a performer. We shall see.

Akiko Suzuki (JPN) is a longtime favorite of nearly the entire skating world, but the biggest question mark with her is a competitive edge. I'm afraid that her window of opportunity has passed her by and and that she reached her peak in 2012 with that World bronze. She recently finished behind Lipnitskaia at the Finlandia Trophy. I question her choice of Phantom of the Opera for her free skate because I think she can do better than that warhorse. She is so classical and refined that I'd prefer she choose something more nuanced.

Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) won this event last year and she has the potential to do it again. However, she won primarily because she was simply cleaner that the other women. I personally don't believe that she has the maturity or performance quality to beat a clean Suzuki, Lipnitskaia, or even Gao. I truly believe this event will be decided by who makes the fewest mental errors.

Gracie Gold (USA) is the "no pun intended" Golden Girl in US Figure Skating. USFS wants her to be the answer that we've all been looking for, the next Michelle Kwan who can dominate national and international events. She is almost guaranteed a spot on the Sochi team, but she needs to prove that she has the mental game to compete and that's where she's been lacking recently. Luckily for her, she is a late bloomer across the course of a season. She bombed at this event last year, but went on to win silver at Cup of Russia, silver at US Nationals, and placed a respectable 6th at Worlds. If the wheels fall off here, we don't need to lose our minds yet, but it will be cause for concern for Team Gold if Gao or Hicks beat her here.

Christina Gao (USA) is a personal favorite of mine and I am really pulling for her to make the Sochi team. She has a much more international look than many of the US ladies and much more classical elegance than either Wagner or Gold. We know that she is an extremely hard work and my biggest fear for her, opposite of Gold, is that she will peak too early. She has finished 5th at US Nationals for the past four years, so she's going to have to show USFS that she is the real deal on the Grand Prix before their judges will PCS her high enough at Nationals to make the podium.




My Podium Predictions:
Gold: Julia Liptnitskaia (RUS)
Silver: Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
Bronze: Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN)

The Rest of the Field:
Amelie Lacoste (CAN)
Veronik Mallet (CAN)
Natalia Popova (UKR)
Christina Gao (USA)
Gracie Gold (USA)
Courtney Hicks (USA)

Cup of China: Ladies Free Skate LIVE BLOG

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	181.76	2	1
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	177.92	1	2
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	169.86	4	3
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	163.46	3	4
5	Zijun LI	CHN	160.06	5	5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	135.46	6	9
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	134.43	7	7
8	Ying ZHANG	CHN	130.65	9	6
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	127.36	8	8

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	118.87	54.53		64.34	8.14	7.75	7.96	8.11	8.25	0.00	#9
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	114.86	57.43		57.43	7.21	7.00	7.32	7.25	7.11	0.00	#10
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	110.17	51.03		59.14	7.43	7.04	7.32	7.54	7.64	0.00	#7
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	103.70	45.89		57.81	7.39	6.96	7.25	7.32	7.21	0.00	#8
5	Zijun LI	CHN	100.85	51.58		51.27	6.61	6.21	6.32	6.54	6.36	2.00	#6
6	Ying ZHANG	CHN	87.27	46.97		42.30	5.61	4.96	5.36	5.29	5.21	2.00	#2
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	84.76	38.16		47.60	6.04	5.64	6.04	6.04	6.00	1.00	#4
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	82.97	37.07		45.90	6.21	5.50	5.50	5.86	5.61	0.00	#3
9	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	78.03	31.06		48.97	6.46	6.11	5.71	6.25	6.07	2.00	#5
WD	Bingwa GENG	CHN											#1

1) Ying Zhang (CHN)

  Music: Soul Dance

• She is loving the blue costumes at this event
• She needs to straighten those legs and point the feet
• I knew that jump was going down from the minute it went up
• 3F-2T very low to the ground
• This program isn't doing anything for me, she is just going through the motions
• Nice scorpion position in that spiral, but the standing leg really needs to be straight
• 46.97 (TES) + 42.30 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 87.27
• 43.38 (SP) + (FS) = 130.65

2) Sofia Biryukova (RUS)
  Music: Turandot

• She is a beauty!
• This costume looks Asian to me; funny we don't see that more for Turandot
• Bad slip, hands down; I'm always surprised when hands down can actually stop a fall on slippery ice
• 2-foot crossed landings, we aren't starting out well here
• Very sloppy, I can't even comment on anything because it's so labored and sloppy
• That spread eagle into 2A was nice, but the eagle could've been on a deeper edge to enhance the drama
• She was not happy with that, looked like a mental lapse
• 37.07 (TES) + 45.90 (PCS) = 82.97
• 44.39 (SP) + 82.97 (FS) = 127.36

3) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)
  Music: Burlesque, Express, Blues in Night

• That white bodice is not that flattering, a brighter color like magenta or turquoise would've been nice
• There's absolutely nothing going on here right now
• She is totally going through the motions, not nearly enough sass
• Only 1 fall, but a lot of potential underrotations
• 38.16 (TES) + 47.60 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 84.76
• 49.67 (SP) + 84.76 (FS) = 134.43

4) Amelie Lacoste (CAN)
  Music: Rhapsody in Blue & Concerto in F by Gershwin

• I love her intensity, how she attacks everything
• Even if she's technically not sound, she's still exciting to watch
• Starting out with a fall usually puts her on a downward spiral, let's see how that plays out
• Of the first 4 jumps, all have had landing issues thus far
• She cannot land a clean jump to save her life, that's not a technical issue, that's confidence
• The program is composed beautifully and the choreography is well executed; if she had the jumps she'd be right in the thick of things
• 31.06 (TES) + 48.97 (PCS) -2.00 (DED)= 78.03
• 57.43 (SP) + 78.03 (FS) =

5) Zijun Li (CHN)
  Music: Sleeping Beauty

• She is at the perfect age to skate to this music, it's light and ethereal
• Jumping bean!
• Nice 2a-3a combo, 2 footed
• This is so sprightly, the program is just perfect for her
• I didn't realize Chengjiang Li was her coach, he was such a great jumper when he competed
• I also see that Karen Kwan choreographed this piece, it's lovely
• Her jumps are very small, quick, but small
• She is losing speed in the middle; as we saw at last year's 4 continents, it seems the Chinese skaters often aren't very well conditioned
• 51.58 (TES) + 51.27 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 100.85
• 59.21 (SP) + 100.85 (FS) = 160.06

6) Kiira Korpi (FIN)
  Music: Once Upon a Time in America

• This dress is divine, as all of her dresses always are
• I love the drama in that opening
• 3T-3T to open, very strong
• Feed froze in the middle of the program, missed a good chunk
• Jumps are starting to unravel, very squirrely landings
• A couple popped jumps, not want she wants or needs to get on the podium
• She's left enough of a door open technically that Li will pass her
• This is a very well composed program, once she builds up her stamina it should be lovely
• I think we have  clean triples, lots of wonky landings, she'll get there
• 51.03 (TES) + 59.14 (PCS) = 110.86
• 59.69 (SP) + 110.86 (FS) = 169.86

7) Mirai Nagasu (USA)
  Music: Symphony No. 3 by Saint-Saens

• Let's get this one Mirai
• Nearly into the boards on the first jump
• Clean 2a, 2-footed the combo
• Why are all of these jumps so close to the boards
• Feed froze, missed a good chunk of the middle
• This dress is lovely on her, I love the neckline/haltar detail
• I want more intensity in these steps, right now it looks like she's going through the motions
• Clean 3-2-2 combo, all of these landings are nice too, good flowing edges and straight free legs out of them
• This has been a great skate for Mirai, she looks really free out there
• Much more passion on that last step sequence
• She should be very happy and relieved right there
• 45.89 (TES) + 57.81 (PCS) = 103.70
• 59.76 (SP) + 103.70 (FS) = 163.46

8) Mao Asada (JPN)
  Music: Swan Lake

• I hope we get good Mao today, she has so much speed!
• That costume is to die for!
• She looks so delicate out there
• Gorgeous combination spin, every position is fantastic
• This is so graceful and lyrical
• I like the musical selection, she used in interesting arrangement with sections that aren't completely overdone
• This is going to be phenomenal by Worlds
• Very strong ending, what a beautifully composed and choreographed program
• Tarasova choreographed that, I wonder if it is odd working with your old coach as choreographer
• 54.53 (TES) + 64.34 (PCS) = 118.87
• 62.89 (SP) + 118.87 (FS) = 181.76

9) Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS)
  Music: Nutcracker

• Leaning very far over on landings of first combo
• Fall out of 2nd combo, one more little mistake like that and she'll give it away to Mao, she needs all the TES she can get
• There is no attempt at expression, she's just ticking the elements off the list
• I like this step sequence a lot, it's well placed in the music
• Best I-spin since Sasha Cohen
• She has a lot there to work with in that program; just let it develop
• 57.43 (TES) + 57.43 (PCS) = 114.86
• 63.06 (SP) + 114.86 (FS) = 177.92

Cup of China: Ladies Short Program LIVE BLOG

1) Ying Zhang (CHN)
  Music: Blue Light

• We are wearing a blue dress for Blue Light; that's a good start
• What a tiny little thing, she is very serious
• Very tough fall to start on the 3lz
• Solid 3F
• 2 jumps in and no combo, I hope she tacks it onto the 2A
• This program lacks drama for me
• Those overhead shots make me so dizzy, I can't handle it
• The lack of combo will hurt her
• Why is she sitting so far from the coach?
• 22.95 (TES) + 21.43 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 43.38

2) Sofia Biryukova (RUS)
  Music: Seven Years in Tibet

• She is a gorgeous young lady
• Very understated, glamorous costume compared to Russian ladies of the past
• Great speed off the top
• Fall on the 3lz
• Gets right back up and into the program
• 3loop into a funky leg postion layback
• Nice musical accent for that double axel
• This combination spin is underwhelming given it's placement on the most recognizable piece of the music
• I love the drama in the step sequence
• 21.42 (TES) + 23.97 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 44.39

3) Bingwa Geng (CHN)
  Music: Scene d'amour

• She is a gorgeous skater who lacks confidence
• See, she had that 1st jump but she bailed; a little close to the boards too
• Another turn out, she just doesn't seem to have the guts to nail these programs like she can
• I kind of like this music, but the performance is flat for me
• That was just okay, there was nothing extraordinary about it and it seemed there was no passion
• 16.27 (TES) + 21.26 (PCS) = 36.53

4) Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS)
  Music: Sabre Dance

• The moment we've all been waiting for, the newest Russian baby makes her senior debut
• Wow that just started out of nowhere
• Clean 3lz-3t
• She attacks the jumps
• Signature Julia spiral into the 3F
• She comes from the Sasha Cohen school of never hitting a bad position
• Sharp, quick 2A
• Feed froze for the spin, but it loked lovely
• She is killing the footwork, very agressive; she's leaving it all out on the ice
• This girl has no bones in her body, I love it
• That was a totally jam-packed program; let's see if she maintains that intensity in the free
• 35.35 (TES) + 27.71 (PCS) = 63.06

5) Zijun Li (CHN)
  Music: Dark Eyes

• She was another little diva baby on the Junior GP last season, let's see if she debuts like Julia
• She is lovely, she has better line and more grace than Julia
• She eeks out the jumps, not the command of Julia, but she hits them nonetheless
• She is so joyful in this footwork
• She has very long arms and once she learns to use them in a really expressive way, that will be a huge asset to her skating
• It is so wonderful to see a young lady from China doing well at home; good for the home fans
• 33.79 (TES) + 25.42 (PCS) = 59.21

6) Joshi Helgesson (SWE)
  Music: Mystere & Taiko

• That one-arm-over-head variation should be left for those with superb jumping technique
• I like this music, but not enough drama in the program
• I like the costume, but it seems more like a gypsy dance costume
• Nice attitude position on the exit of the 2A
• Overall this was just so-so for me
• I want her to really amp up the diva like her sister
• 25.93 (TES) + 24.74 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 49.67

7) Amelie Lacoste (CAN)
  Music: The Feeling Begins

• I missed most of the program due to my feed freezing, not sure how she's doing
• I like that the steps and the arm movements are in the character of the piece
• I missed all the jumps, but this is a well composed program that should take her far this season
• Wow, much improved from her last outing; she'll have a very long break between this and nationals so let's see what she does with it 
• 30.25 (TES) + 27.18 (PCS) = 57.43

8) Mirai Nagasu (USA)
  Music: Downhill Special

• She looks so grown up!
• She looks ready to kick som ass here
• Did she get taller, look at those long legs!!
• She is jumping up a storm here so far (I'll ignore the 2-foot landings)
• She has some new zip and attitude to her skating
• I thought that leaving Frank would be the best thing she ever did for her skating
• This is a cute little short program, I just love it; suits her so well
• She looks so carefree, nothing looks labored like it did the past two seasons 
• 31.04 (TES) + 28.72 (PCS) = 59.76

9) Mao Asada (JPN)
  Music: I Got Rhythm

• Please Mao go into 1st!
• I love her ease across the ice
• Way to cut that pesky 3A, she really doesn't need it with her precisions and PCS
• Way to go Mao, choosing a piece outside of your comfort zone is a great strategy
• She hits the accents so strongly and yet is so soft with her arms the rest of the time
• Leaving Tarasova was the best thing she ever did, all of her programs were so labored then
• Wow, I just noticed she's not wearing sleeves!
• This program is divine, it really shows off her personality and dance ability, a totally new side of Mao
• This is so charming and endearing!
• Great ending, just a really nice button on the end!
• 31.83 (TES) + 31.06 (PCS) = 62.89

10) Kiira Korpi (FIN)
  Music: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair

• Wide swinging free leg on both jumps in the combo
• Her upper body is looking very stiff today
• This costume is GORGEOUS and it matches the music and the skater perfectly
• Once she gets more comfortable and relaxes, this program is going to be like buttah!
• This is a beautifully composed program, all of the in between movements are so specific and spot on
• That was simple and elegant, like a glass of fine wine
• 29.26 (TES) + 30.43 (PCS) = 59.69

Cup of China: Ladies Preview

Like all the disciplines, I'll miss the short but I'll be calling the free in the middle of the night Friday into Saturday.

The next in a long line of Russian wonder babies makes her arrival in China. Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS) is the reigning Junior World Champ and also the Finlandia champ. She is even better that Tuktamysheva & Sotnikova in my opinion. Her flexibility is out of this world and she will be the next Sasha Cohen in terms of "she never hits a bad position." Nerves and expectation are the X-factor as we saw with Gracie Gold at Skate Canada, but if this little one does what we all know she can do, she'll win by a mile.

A former wonder baby also makes her season debut here. Mao Asada (JPN) is doing Gershwin for her short and Swan Lake for her free. I may die of happiness if she aces both of these. I think we have seen Mao go through several levels of transformation over the past few seasons, so let's hope she's coming out on the good side of that heading into 2014.

Kiira Korpi (FIN) is one of the most gorgeous skaters around if she could hold it together. She won Silver at Europeans last year and finished 2nd to Lipnitskaia at Finlandia. I'm excited to see what she's bringing to the table this year and I think she can certainly medal here.

The skater I'm actually most excited to see is Mirai Nagasu (USA). She left Frank finally and that could be the best thing she's ever done. I just don't think that their styles meshed...ever. This is a do or die year for her. She needs to get back on world podiums and back on the Nationals podium this year, or USFSA will have totally forgotten about her when 2014 and Sochi roll around.

My Podium Predictions:
Gold: Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS)
Silver: Mao Asada (JPN)
Bronze: Mirai Nagasu (USA)

The Rest of the Field:
Amelie Lacoste (CAN)
Bingwa Geng (CHN)
Zijun Li (CHN)
Ying Zhang (CHN)
Sofia Biryukova (RUS)
Joshi Helgesson (SWE)

Junior Grand Prix Final Predictions

I've returned to blogging after two weeks off and if feels like a lifetime! Anyway, we're approaching one of the biggest weekends of the year in figure skating, the Grand Prix Final. While the seniors are the headliners, there were some truly outstanding juniors on the circuit this season, many even outscored top seniors. The Gold medalists in the junior events are fairly easy to predict, but the other medals are up for grabs. Here are my predictions for each event.

Junior Pairs: Short Program (Dec 8th 5:00 p.m.) Free Skate (Dec 9th 11:25 a.m.)
1) Sui/Han (CHN) Highest JGP Score 167.14
2) Yu/Jin (CHN) Highest JGP Score 154.37
3) Bobak/Beharry (CAN) Highest JGP Score 147.72
4) Petaikina/Kurduykov (RUS) Highest JGP Score 144.47
5) Simpson/Blackmer (USA) Highest JGP Score 141.42
6) Tudvaseva/Lisiev (RUS) Highest JGP Score 129.35

Junior Ladies: Short Program (Dec 8th 6:15 p.m.) Free Skate (Dec 9th 6:30 p.m.)
1) Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS) Highest JGP Score 183.05
2) Risa Shoji (JPN) Highest JGP Score 157.83
3) Polina Shlepen (RUS) Highest JGP Score 157.61
4) Vanessa Lam (USA) Highest JGP Score 156.58
5) Zijun Li (CHN) Highest JGP Score 156.40
6) Polina Korobeynikova (RUS) Highest JGP Score 149.87

Junior Ice Dance: Short Dance (Dec 8th 7:20 p.m.) Free Dance (Dec 10th 2:20 p.m.) 
1) Sinitsina/Zhiganshin (RUS) Highest JGP Score 151.10
2) Stepanova/Bukin (RUS) Highest JGP Score 149.98
3) Yanovskaia/Mozgov (RUS) Highest JGP Score 142.72
4) Aldridge/Eaton (USA) Highest JGP Score 136.86
5) Nosulia/Kholoniuk (UKR) Highest JGP Score 128.34
6) Galyeta/Shumski (UKR) Highest JGP Score 122.35

Junior Men: Short Program (Dec 8th 8:35 p.m.) Free Skate (Dec 10th 7:00 p.m.) 
1) Han Yan (CHN) Highest JGP Score 219.37
2) Joshua Farris (USA) Highest JGP Score 207.67
3) Jason Brown (USA) Highest JGP Score 197.23
4) Keiji Tanaka (JPN) Highest JGP Score 192.36
5) Maxim Kovtun (RUS) Highest JGP Score 186.67
6) Ryuju Hino (JPN) Highest JGP Score 182.71

2011 Junior Grand Prix: Programs I'm Obsessed With

Aldridge & Eaton-JGP Austria Free Dance



Julia Lipnitskaia-JGP Italy Short Program



Joshua Farris-JGP Poland Short Program




Simpson & Blackmer-JGP Poland Free Skate

2011 Junior Grand Prix of Italy: Ladies Final Results & Free Skate Videos

Ladies Final Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	183.05	1	1
2	Anna SHERSHAK	RUS	150.21	3	2
3	Hannah MILLER	USA	146.74	2	5
4	So-Youn PARK	KOR	144.71	4	4
5	Satoko MIYAHARA	JPN	143.24	7	3
6	Ziquan ZHAO	CHN	133.33	5	6
7	Kate CHARBONNEAU	CAN	127.01	6	7
8	Anita MADSEN	DEN	115.55	17	8
9	Isabelle OLSSON	SWE	114.77	9	13
10	Saya UENO	JPN	114.30	10	12
11	Eveliina VILJANEN	FIN	110.65	11	14
12	Laurine LECAVELIER	FRA	110.34	20	9
13	Brooklee HAN	AUS	109.06	15	11
14	Sandy HOFFMANN	GER	105.65	12	15
15	Caterina ANDERMARCHER	ITA	103.04	14	17
16	Sabrina SCHULZ	AUT	102.87	19	16
17	Romy BUEHLER	SUI	101.33	16	18
18	Isadora WILLIAMS	BRA	101.20	27	10
19	Mimi Tanasorn CHINDASOOK	THA	98.64	13	22
20	Nika CERIC	SLO	96.97	18	23
21	Victoria MANNI	ITA	96.54	21	19
22	Elena MANGAS	ESP	93.54	25	20
23	Micol CRISTINI	ITA	92.83	22	21
24	Alexandra KUNOVA	SVK	86.92	24	25
25	Tsz Ying Crystal CHIK	HKG	82.27	28	26
26	Isabella SCHUSTER	GRE	82.04	23	27
27	Anais CLAES	BEL	82.03	30	24
28	Denisa SANDU	ROU	77.18	26	29
29	Aislin ROSADO	MEX	73.00	31	28
30	Ashley BRICKMAN	PHI	64.40	29	30
31	Deirdre FAEGRE	IRL	52.53	32	31

Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	119.34	63.10		56.24	7.18	6.79	7.18	7.00	7.00	0.00	#29
2	Anna SHERSHAK	RUS	98.73	47.83		50.90	6.43	6.07	6.46	6.46	6.39	0.00	#32
3	Satoko MIYAHARA	JPN	98.33	50.84		47.49	6.21	5.61	6.04	5.93	5.89	0.00	#24
4	So-Youn PARK	KOR	95.65	49.93		45.72	6.18	5.21	5.89	5.61	5.68	0.00	#28
5	Hannah MILLER	USA	93.96	41.18		52.78	6.57	6.39	6.68	6.64	6.71	0.00	#31
6	Ziquan ZHAO	CHN	87.53	46.56		41.97	5.68	4.86	5.36	5.36	4.96	1.00	#30
7	Kate CHARBONNEAU	CAN	81.23	37.57		45.66	5.86	5.57	5.71	5.71	5.68	2.00	#27
8	Anita MADSEN	DEN	78.49	42.49		36.00	4.79	4.39	4.54	4.54	4.25	0.00	#19
9	Laurine LECAVELIER	FRA	75.63	40.46		36.17	4.79	4.25	4.57	4.57	4.43	1.00	#12
10	Isadora WILLIAMS	BRA	72.59	38.80		34.79	4.64	4.00	4.50	4.32	4.29	1.00	#8
11	Brooklee HAN	AUS	71.38	36.85		36.53	4.71	4.29	4.61	4.68	4.54	2.00	#18
12	Saya UENO	JPN	71.21	31.06		41.15	5.43	5.00	5.04	5.18	5.07	1.00	#23
13	Isabelle OLSSON	SWE	70.92	35.71		37.21	5.21	4.36	4.61	4.64	4.43	2.00	#22
14	Eveliina VILJANEN	FIN	69.94	32.23		39.71	5.21	4.75	4.96	4.96	4.93	2.00	#21
15	Sandy HOFFMANN	GER	67.32	31.12		37.20	5.00	4.43	4.57	4.82	4.43	1.00	#25
16	Sabrina SCHULZ	AUT	66.47	31.33		35.14	4.50	4.14	4.43	4.46	4.43	0.00	#13
17	Caterina ANDERMARCHER	ITA	65.21	30.66		35.55	4.54	4.25	4.54	4.46	4.43	1.00	#17
18	Romy BUEHLER	SUI	63.74	31.12		34.62	4.57	4.04	4.32	4.46	4.25	2.00	#16
19	Victoria MANNI	ITA	63.11	27.85		35.26	4.46	4.18	4.43	4.50	4.46	0.00	#14
20	Elena MANGAS	ESP	62.51	32.05		31.46	4.11	3.61	3.96	4.11	3.86	1.00	#7
21	Micol CRISTINI	ITA	60.59	27.98		33.61	4.61	3.79	4.25	4.32	4.04	1.00	#11
22	Mimi Tanasorn CHINDASOOK	THA	60.55	25.48		35.07	4.64	4.18	4.50	4.46	4.14	0.00	#20
23	Nika CERIC	SLO	59.99	28.13		31.86	4.14	3.75	4.00	4.14	3.89	0.00	#15
24	Anais CLAES	BEL	57.66	27.30		30.36	3.75	3.64	3.86	3.86	3.86	0.00	#2
25	Alexandra KUNOVA	SVK	55.78	29.64		27.14	3.86	3.04	3.39	3.46	3.21	1.00	#6
26	Tsz Ying Crystal CHIK	HKG	54.90	29.54		25.36	3.54	2.96	3.14	3.25	2.96	0.00	#3
27	Isabella SCHUSTER	GRE	50.32	24.28		27.04	3.68	3.25	3.36	3.54	3.07	1.00	#9
28	Aislin ROSADO	MEX	48.82	23.99		25.83	3.43	2.93	3.39	3.21	3.18	1.00	#5
29	Denisa SANDU	ROU	46.29	21.04		25.25	3.54	2.89	3.07	3.25	3.04	0.00	#10
30	Ashley BRICKMAN	PHI	39.67	15.79		24.88	3.54	2.79	3.11	3.11	3.00	1.00	#4
31	Deirdre FAEGRE	IRL	33.71	18.58		17.13	2.39	1.93	2.07	2.25	2.07	2.00	#1
WD	Courtney HICKS	USA											#26

Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS) 183.05

Anna Shershak (RUS) 150.21

Hannah Miller (USA) 146.74