2010 US Junior Championships – Juvenile CD Report

I’m finally home in Ann Arbor. My mom and I were lucky not to get too much snow on the way back. I know a lot of people going back home to the east coast had cancelled flights and were worried about making it back to work. I hope everyone had safe travels. I’m sorry for the delay with the Juvenile CDs. I wanted to get my JET meeting first, so I had to wait until Saturday afternoon. Then, I didn’t have enough time to write the report before the Juvenile FD. Enough excuses…. Here’s what happened (even though you at home kind of know).

Miller/ Lorello (light blue with light purple and yellow underlay skirt/ pink and black)—Newly formed team, Miller and Lorello placed 2nd in both the Hickory and 14 Step but won the event overall. They skated very close in both dances and had excellent unison. They had nice timing in both dances, but I noted that their phrasing from their intro to their end was especially good in their 14 Step. This is team with strong basics in holds, edging, and partnering. They had one -1 from one judge on the Hickory but the GOEs were primarily base and 1. Their 14 Step received no negative GOEs and were all base or 1.

Pfeifer/ Petrov (white with red trim/ maroon and gold)—Even though they had a slight stumble on the first end pattern of the Hickory (placing 4th in the dance), Pfeifer and Petrov came back strong by winning the 14 Step. Their Hickory had good timing and basics. Their 14 Step showcased their skating skills and speed especially well. They had excellent unison on that dance. They are a promising team, and I hope as they progress, they will have more partner relationship in their dances. They received primarily 1s and 2s in their 14 Step and had mostly base and 1 GOEs in the Hickory.

Giordano/ Davis (pink, red corset with denim skirt/ red with white underlay skirt)—Giordano and Davis topped the field in the Hickory Hoedown, but placed 4th in the 14 Step. Their hickory had good flow, unison, and expression. Their 14 Step had nice edging and speed. I thought they had excellent timing as well, though I would have liked to see them round the end pattern a little more. Their GOEs ranged from base to plus 2 on the Hickory (only one judge gave them a -1 on one segment) and -1 to plus 2 in the 14 Step.

Chadwick/ Martin (dark blue with light blue/ cream)—This team had excellent unison on both dances. They have nice lines and good projection. I especially liked Martin’s leading skills. I felt like the 14 Step was their stronger dance, but both were very nice to watch. They placed 3rd in both dances. Their GOEs ranged from base to 1 (only one judge gave them a -1 on one segment) and -1 to 2 in the 14 Step.

Gourianova/ Hickey (red with green trim and white underlay skirt/ red with gold trim)—This team had a fairly good Hickory, but I felt their feeling for the 14 Step was a little stronger. I think with more time, Hickey can improve his leading skills on the Hickory (which is the trickier part of the dance, especially depending on the hold the boy uses) and eventually, higher level dances. However, they are both very young and have plenty of time to develop the skills. They had nice edging on both dances. Their GOEs ranged from -1 to 1 on both dances. They placed 6th in the Hickory and 5th in the 14 Step.

Manahan/ Schachtel (red with white polka dots and trim/ black and gold)—Manahan and Schachtel rounded out the top 6 with good skates in their hometown. They had nice flow, but I felt like their timing was a little off in both dances (either a little ahead or a little lagged). I felt like their pattern shrunk a little bit on the 14, but it showcased deep edges. Their GOEs on the Hickory were primarily base to 1 and ranged from -1 to 1 on the 14 Step.