Three Medals For U.S. Skaters Last Weekend At First ISU Junior Grand Prix Event In Bratislava, Slovakia
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| Current U.S. junior champions Mariel Miller & Rockne Brubaker took the bronze medal at the 2005 Junior Grand Prix Final. |
The JGP Series, now in its ninth season, consists of eight international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Approximately 400 athletes representing more than 35 countries are expected to participate in the series. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the eight scheduled events. The top-eight point-earners in each of the disciplines then qualify for the JGP Final in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Nov. 24-27. Athletes will be vying for a total of $365,000 in prize money throughout the series.
The new ISU judging system will be used for the second straight season in the JGP Series. Under the new system, points are awarded for a technical score combined with points awarded for five additional components — skating skills, transitions/linking footwork and movement, performance/execution, choreography/composition and interpretation.
LADIES
Heading up the U.S. Team in Bratislava is 2005 U.S. ninth-place finisher and 2004 World Junior bronze medalist Katy Taylor (Houston, Texas). Taylor will be entering her third straight JGP Series after narrowly failing to qualify for the final in 2003 (placed second and fourth in her two events) and 2004 (placed third and third in her two events). Taylor will be joined in Slovakia by Tenile Victorsen (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.), whose debut this weekend marks her first JGP event. Victorsen took fourth at the 2005 U.S. Championships on the junior level and went on to place second at the Gardena Spring Trophy as a junior.
MEN
Also entering his first JGP event is 2005 U.S. junior pewter medalist Douglas Razzano (Tempe, Ariz.). His international experience includes a gold medal at the 2004 Triglav Trophy as a junior and two appearances at the North American Challenge Skate: a second-place finish as a novice in 2003 and a seventh-place finish as a junior in 2004. Also competing for the United States will be Stephen Carriere (Wakefield, Mass.), the seventh-place finisher from the 2005 U.S. Championships on the junior level. Carriere placed fifth at his previous JGP event in 2004, and took fourth at the 2004 Triglav Trophy as a junior.
PAIRS
In the pairs event, 2005 U.S. junior champions Mariel Miller (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Rockne Brubaker (Algonquin, Ill.) will lead the U.S. entries as they return to the JGP Series for the second year. They took first and second in their events in 2004, finishing the series with a bronze medal at the JGP Final. They went on to take fourth at the 2005 World Junior Championships. Entering their first JGP Series is the U.S. pairs team of Molly Aaron (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Taylor Toth (Kittanning, Pa.). The two are in their second season together after placing fourth as novices at the 2005 U.S. Championships.
ICE DANCING
In the ice dancing competition, 2005 U.S. junior champions Trina Pratt (Pueblo, Colo.) and Todd Gilles (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will look to take advantage of their third season in the JGP after narrowly missing the final in 2004. They placed third at both of their 2004 JGP events and went on to finish eighth at the 2005 World Junior Championships. Joining them in Slovakia are the 2005 U.S. novice champions Emily Samuelson (Novi, Mich.) and Evan Bates (Ann Arbor, Mich.). The ice dancers are entering their first JGP Series, though they have competed internationally at the Estonia International Dance Competition (second place) and a 2004 NACS event (first place), both on the novice level.
U.S. ENTRIES
Ladies
Katy Taylor (Houston, Texas/Houston and Sugar Land, Texas)
Tenile Victorsen (Lake Arrowhead, Calif./Artesia, Calif.)
Men's
Stephen Carriere (Wakefield, Mass./Boston, Mass.)
Douglas Razzano (Tempe, Ariz./Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Pairs
Molly Aaron & Taylor Toth (Scottsdale, Ariz. & Kittanning, Pa./Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Mariel Miller & Rockne Brubaker (Chapel Hill, N.C. & Algonquin, Ill./Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Ice Dancing
Trina Pratt & Todd Gilles (Pueblo, Colo. & Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (Novi, Mich. & Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor, Mich.)
In addition to Bratislava, Slovakia, the Junior Grand Prix consists of the following events:
JGP Andorra: Canillo, Andorra – Sept. 8-11
JGP Estonia: Tallinn, Estonia – Sept. 15-18
JGP Canada: Montreal, Canada – Sept. 22-25
JGP Bulgaria: Sofia, Bulgaria – Sept. 29-Oct. 2
JGP Croatia: Zagreb, Croatia – Oct. 6-9
JGP Poland: Gdansk, Poland – Oct. 13-16
JGP Japan: Okaya City, Japan – Oct. 20-23
JGP Final: Ostrava, Czech Republic – Nov. 24-27
