2010 JGP Brasov Cup Preview

On September 8, Brasov, Romania will host the second ISU Junior Grand Prix event of the 2010-11 season. Named after its host city, the Brasov Cup roster includes 13 teams from 11 countries. Most competitors, fans, and officials are accustomed to the ice dancing portion of events opening on the first day of competition, but with the elimination of the compulsory dances, ice dance teams seem to be getting an extra day as their phases have been starting on day two of competitions. As we’ve seen so far this season, the short dance has shaken things up results-wise as well, especially given the new levels added to the compulsory patterns required within the dances. It is a huge learning curve for everyone.

Of the 13 teams competing in Brasov, only two have previously won a medal on the JGP series. Like the JGP in Courchevel, France two weeks ago, relatively inexperienced (JGP circuit-wise)  teams are the norm, with five couples making their JGP debut in Romania. However, this competition does include the 2009 JGP Final champions and 2010 World Junior bronze medalists, Ksenia Monko & Kirill Khaliavin of Russia (pictured at right).

This is the final year of junior eligibility for Monko & Khaliavin, who decided to remain at the junior level. Continued success secures more ISU points, setting them up with a higher ranking when they move up to seniors next season. The team has been competing on the JGP in 2006, and since 2007 have medaled in five out of six of their JGPs, including a sweep of golds last season. The team trains in Moscow under Elena Kustarova, Svetlana Aleexeva, and Olga Riabinina. They train alongside the current top-ranked senior Russian team of Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitry Soloviev.

Also in the medal hunt are 2009 JGP Lake Placid bronze medalists, Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager. In the off-season, Bonacorsi & Mager relocated to Aston, PA to train under 1980 Olympic Champions Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponosov. Though the team did not achieve the results they were hoping for a few weeks ago at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, they returned to Aston and focused on improving their programs for Romania.

Ukraine’s Anastasia Galyeta & Alexei Shumski, who finished eighth at the 2010 World Junior Championships (a vast improvement over 23rd in 2009), are also medal hopefuls. The duo formed their partnership in 2008 after competing for previous JGP seasons with other partners. Galyeta & Shumski train in Kiev under coach Alexander Tumanovski. Like Bonacorsi & Mager, the Ukrainians will be eligible for the JGP next season as well.

As with Courchevel, Canada chose to only use one of its two allotted dance spots in Brasov. Abby Carswell & Andrew Doleman will be the lone Canadian entry in ice dance. Carswell & Doleman finished eighth at the JGP in Lake Placid and 23rd at the 2009 World Junior Championships. The team had a solid debut at the Minto Summer Skate at the end of July. They train in Carol Lane’s group in Scarborough, Ontario.

Other teams with JGP experience include Belarusians Viktoria Kavaleva & Yirii Bieliaiev, who count Romania as their fifth competition and are hoping to break into the top 10 for the first time. Italy’s Sofia Sforza & Francesco competed in Lake Placid and Istanbul last season, finishing 11th and 17th, respectively. France’s Tiffany Zahorski & Alexis Miart, who train with Muriel Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer, are making their second JGP start after finishing 10th last season in their debut in Minsk. Great Britain’s Sophie Jones & Richard Sharpe were 15th at the same event, and they too have Romania as their second-ever JPG.

Five JGP rookies round out the roster. Kazakhstan’s Karina Uzurova & Ilias Ali will try to get their country back on the ice dance radar for the first time in a decade. Baily Carroll & Peter Gerber of Canada now represent Poland. They placed 4th at the 2010 Canadian Challenge (novice), the country’s qualifier to the national championships. Valeria Loseva & Denis Lunin from Russia placed 15th at their country’s very deep junior nationals ice dancing field and finished 4th at the 2009 NRW Trophy. Americans Gabrielle Friedenberg & Ben Nykiel were listed as JGP substitutes last season, but never got the chance to compete. At the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships last month they won their group’s short dance competition and placed sixth in the free. Last but not least, Katerina Konickova & Matej Lang of the Czech Republic will bring the season’s first “Cats” free dance.

Official practices begin on Wednesday, September 8th. Short dances will be contested on Friday and the free dance on Saturday wraps up the week’s competitions in Brasov.